Color names in CSS - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

📝 Syntax

intermediate

What color will the text be?

Given the CSS rule below, what color will the text inside the paragraph appear as in a modern browser?

CSS

p { color: navy; }

A A dark blue color

B A bright red color

C A shade of green

D Black color

💡 Hint

Think about the common color name 'navy' in CSS.

The color name 'navy' in CSS represents a dark blue color. It is a standard named color supported by all modern browsers.

❓ rendering

intermediate

Which color name will make the background yellow?

You want to set the background color of a div to yellow using a CSS color name. Which option will do this correctly?

CSS

div { background-color: ???; }

A background-color: lemon;

B background-color: gold;

C background-color: lightyellow;

D background-color: yellow;

💡 Hint

Look for the exact CSS color name for pure yellow.

The CSS color name 'yellow' sets the background to pure yellow. 'gold' and 'lightyellow' are different shades, and 'lemon' is not a valid CSS color name.

❓ selector

advanced

Which CSS selector applies a red color to all

You want all

headings to have red text using a CSS color name. Which CSS rule below is correct?

A h1 { color: red; }

B h1 { background-color: red; }

C .h1 { color: red; }

D #h1 { color: red; }

💡 Hint

Remember how to select elements by tag name in CSS.

The selector 'h1' targets all

elements. Setting 'color: red;' changes the text color to red. Options A and D select classes or IDs, not elements.

❓ accessibility

advanced

Which color name choice improves text readability for visually impaired users?

You want to choose a text color name that ensures good contrast on a white background for better accessibility. Which color name is best?

A lightgray

B black

C yellow

D darkgray

💡 Hint

Think about which color contrasts most strongly with white.

Black text on white background provides the highest contrast, making it easiest to read for most users, including those with visual impairments.

🧠 Conceptual

expert

How many standard CSS color names are there?

According to the CSS Color Module Level 4 specification, how many standard color names are defined for use in CSS?

A 16

B 512

C 140

D 256

💡 Hint

Think about the named colors inherited from HTML and extended in CSS.

CSS defines 140 standard color names, including basic colors and extended shades like 'lightblue' and 'darkolivegreen'.

Practice

1. Which of the following is a valid CSS color name you can use directly in your stylesheet?

easy

A. brightblue

B. bluish

C. blue

D. colorful

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand CSS color names

   CSS supports a fixed list of color names like 'blue', 'red', 'green', etc. Names like 'bluish' or 'brightblue' are not standard.

2. Step 2: Identify the valid color name

   Among the options, only 'blue' is a recognized CSS color name.

3. Final Answer:

   blue -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Valid CSS color name = blue [OK]

Hint: Use only standard color names listed in CSS specs [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using made-up color names
• Assuming any descriptive word works
• Confusing color names with CSS functions

2. Which CSS property correctly uses a color name to set text color?

easy

A. color: red;

B. background-color: red;

C. text-color: red;

D. font-color: red;

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall CSS property for text color

   The CSS property to set text color is 'color'. Properties like 'text-color' or 'font-color' do not exist.

2. Step 2: Match property with color name usage

   color: red; uses 'color: red;', which is correct syntax to set text color using a color name.

3. Final Answer:

   color: red; -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Text color property = color [OK]

Hint: Use 'color' property for text color, not 'font-color' or 'text-color' [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using non-existent properties like 'text-color'
• Confusing background and text color properties
• Misspelling property names

3. What color will the text appear if this CSS is applied?

p { color: green; }

medium

A. Red text

B. Blue text

C. Black text

D. Green text

Solution

1. Step 1: Read the CSS rule

   The CSS sets the text color of paragraph elements to 'green' using the color name.

2. Step 2: Understand color name effect

   The color name 'green' changes the text color to green in the browser.

3. Final Answer:

   Green text -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   color: green; means green text [OK]

Hint: Color name sets the visible color directly [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing property with background-color
• Assuming color names are case-sensitive
• Ignoring the CSS selector effect

4. Identify the error in this CSS snippet:

div { background-color: lightbluee; }

medium

A. Color name is misspelled

B. Property name is incorrect

C. Missing semicolon

D. Selector is invalid

Solution

1. Step 1: Check the property name

   The property 'background-color' is correct and valid in CSS.

2. Step 2: Check the color name spelling

   The color name 'lightbluee' is misspelled; the correct name is 'lightblue' without the extra 'e'.

3. Final Answer:

   Color name is misspelled -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Misspelled color name causes error [OK]

Hint: Check spelling of color names carefully [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming any similar word is valid color
• Ignoring typos in color names
• Thinking semicolon or selector is wrong

5. You want a button with white text on a dark red background using color names. Which CSS rule achieves this?

hard

A. button { color: darkred; background-color: white; }

B. button { color: white; background-color: darkred; }

C. button { color: black; background-color: red; }

D. button { color: white; background-color: red; }

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify text color requirement

   The text should be white, so the 'color' property must be set to 'white'.

2. Step 2: Identify background color requirement

   The background should be dark red, so 'background-color' must be 'darkred'.

3. Step 3: Match the correct CSS rule

   button { color: white; background-color: darkred; } sets 'color: white;' and 'background-color: darkred;', matching the requirements exactly.

4. Final Answer:

   button { color: white; background-color: darkred; } -> Option B

5. Quick Check:

   Text white + background darkred = button { color: white; background-color: darkred; } [OK]

Hint: Text color uses 'color', background uses 'background-color' [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Swapping text and background colors
• Using incorrect color names
• Ignoring case sensitivity of color names