Gagan's response to the question about the difference between a class and an object in Python was inadequate. He expressed uncertainty and did not provide any explanation or example of how he used these concepts in a project. The benchmark response provided a clear and detailed explanation, including an analogy and a practical application in a project. Gagan could have improved his response by explaining the basic concepts of classes and objects and providing an example from his projects, such as using classes to manage user data.