Python\'s list type has an index() method that takes one parameter and returns the index of the first item in the list matching the parameter. For instance:
You can do this with a list comprehension and index()
tuple_list = [("pineapple", 5), ("cherry", 7), ("kumquat", 3), ("plum", 11)]
[x[0] for x in tuple_list].index("kumquat")
2
[x[1] for x in tuple_list].index(7)
1