Untracked vs tracked files in Git - Practice Questions

Challenge - 5 Problems

🧠 Conceptual

intermediate

Identify tracked and untracked files

You run git status and see some files listed under 'Untracked files' and others under 'Changes not staged for commit'. What does this mean about these files?

A Files under 'Untracked files' are deleted; files under 'Changes not staged for commit' are new files.

B Files under 'Untracked files' are committed; files under 'Changes not staged for commit' are untracked.

C Files under 'Untracked files' are staged for commit; files under 'Changes not staged for commit' are ignored by Git.

D Files under 'Untracked files' are new and not added to Git; files under 'Changes not staged for commit' are tracked but modified.

💡 Hint

Think about whether Git knows about the file or not.

Untracked files are new files Git has not been told to track yet. Modified tracked files are known to Git but have changes not yet staged.

💻 Command Output

intermediate

Output of git status with untracked files

What is the output of git status after creating a new file notes.txt but before adding it?

Git

$ touch notes.txt
$ git status

A

On branch main
Untracked files:
  (use "git add <file>..." to include in what will be committed)

	notes.txt

nothing added to commit but untracked files present (use "git add" to track)

B

On branch main
Changes to be committed:
  (use "git restore --staged <file>..." to unstage)

	new file:   notes.txt

C

On branch main
nothing to commit, working tree clean

D fatal: not a git repository (or any of the parent directories): .git

💡 Hint

The file is new and not added yet.

New files show under 'Untracked files' until added with git add.

🔀 Workflow

advanced

Correct workflow to track a new file

You created a new file app.log but want Git to track it. Which sequence of commands correctly tracks and commits this file?

A

git push origin main
 git add app.log

B

git add app.log
 git commit -m "Add app.log"

C

git commit -m "Add app.log"
 git add app.log

D

git rm app.log
 git commit -m "Remove app.log"

💡 Hint

Think about the order: add first, then commit.

You must add the file to the staging area before committing it.

❓ Troubleshoot

advanced

Why is a new file not showing as untracked?

You created a new file secret.txt but git status does not show it as untracked. What is the most likely reason?

A The file is listed in .gitignore, so Git ignores it.

B The file is already committed and tracked.

C The file has syntax errors.

D Git is not installed on your system.

💡 Hint

Check if Git is told to ignore the file.

Files listed in .gitignore do not show as untracked because Git ignores them.

✅ Best Practice

expert

Best practice for handling large untracked log files

Your project generates large log files that should not be tracked by Git. What is the best practice to handle these files?

A Rename the log files to .txt to make Git track them.

B Commit the log files regularly to keep history of logs.

C Add the log files to .gitignore to prevent tracking and accidental commits.

D Delete the log files manually before every commit.

💡 Hint

Think about avoiding clutter and large files in Git.

Adding large generated files to .gitignore keeps the repo clean and avoids unnecessary commits.

Practice

1. What does it mean when a file is untracked in Git?

easy

A. The file is already included in the last commit.

B. Git does not know about the file yet and it is not included in commits.

C. The file is ignored by Git due to .gitignore rules.

D. The file is staged and ready to be committed.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the meaning of untracked files

   Untracked files are those that Git has not seen before and are not part of any commit.

2. Step 2: Compare with tracked files

   Tracked files are known to Git and included in commits, unlike untracked files.

3. Final Answer:

   Git does not know about the file yet and it is not included in commits. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Untracked = Not known to Git [OK]

Hint: Untracked means Git hasn't seen the file yet [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing untracked with ignored files
• Thinking untracked files are staged
• Assuming untracked files are committed

2. Which Git command is used to start tracking an untracked file?

easy

A. git commit

B. git status

C. git push

D. git add

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the command to track files

   The git add command tells Git to start tracking a file by adding it to the staging area.

2. Step 2: Differentiate from other commands

   git commit saves changes, git push sends commits to remote, and git status shows file states.

3. Final Answer:

   git add -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Start tracking = git add [OK]

Hint: Use git add to track new files [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using git commit before adding files
• Confusing git push with tracking
• Thinking git status tracks files

3. Given the following Git status output:

Untracked files:
  (use "git add <file>..." to include in what will be committed)
    newfile.txt

Changes to be committed:
  (use "git reset HEAD <file>..." to unstage)
    modified: trackedfile.txt

Which files are currently tracked by Git?

medium

A. trackedfile.txt only

B. Both newfile.txt and trackedfile.txt

C. newfile.txt only

D. Neither file is tracked

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze the status output sections

   The "Untracked files" section lists files Git does not track yet, here newfile.txt. The "Changes to be committed" section lists tracked files staged for commit, here trackedfile.txt.

2. Step 2: Determine tracked files

   Only trackedfile.txt is tracked because it is staged. newfile.txt is untracked.

3. Final Answer:

   trackedfile.txt only -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Tracked files = staged or committed files [OK]

Hint: Tracked files appear under 'Changes to be committed' [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming untracked files are tracked
• Confusing staged with untracked
• Ignoring the status section labels

4. You ran git add newfile.txt but git status still shows newfile.txt as untracked. What is the most likely reason?

medium

A. The file is listed in .gitignore and ignored by Git.

B. You forgot to commit after adding the file.

C. You used the wrong filename in the add command.

D. Git does not track files with certain extensions.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand why git add might not track a file

   If a file is ignored by Git due to .gitignore rules, git add will not track it and it remains untracked.

2. Step 2: Eliminate other reasons

   Committing is not required to track a file; wrong filename would cause an error; Git tracks all extensions unless ignored.

3. Final Answer:

   The file is listed in .gitignore and ignored by Git. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Ignored files stay untracked despite git add [OK]

Hint: Check .gitignore if git add doesn't track file [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking commit is needed to track
• Ignoring .gitignore rules
• Assuming Git restricts file types

5. You have a folder with files: file1.txt (tracked, modified), file2.txt (untracked), and file3.log (untracked). Your .gitignore contains *.log. You want to commit file2.txt but not the changes in file1.txt or file3.log. What is the correct sequence of commands?

hard

A. git add file3.log; git commit -m "Add file3"

B. git add .; git commit -m "Add all files"

C. git add file2.txt; git commit -m "Add file2"

D. git commit -a -m "Add file2 and file3"

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand .gitignore effect

   The pattern *.log in .gitignore causes file3.log to be ignored and untracked, so it won't be added by git add ..

2. Step 2: Choose commands to add only file2.txt

   Using git add file2.txt adds only that file without staging changes to tracked file1.txt. Then commit saves it. git add file3.log is ignored. git add . would add file2.txt AND stage changes to file1.txt. Using git commit -a only commits tracked files, so untracked file2.txt won't be included.

3. Final Answer:

   git add file2.txt; git commit -m "Add file2" -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Use git add on untracked file, ignore .log files [OK]

Hint: Add untracked files explicitly; .gitignore blocks others [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using git commit -a to add untracked files
• Adding ignored files by mistake
• Using git add . which also stages changes to tracked files