Cherry-picking multiple commits in Git - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

💻 Command Output

intermediate

Output of cherry-picking a range of commits

You run the command git cherry-pick A1B2C3..D4E5F6 where A1B2C3 and D4E5F6 are commit hashes. What is the result?

A Git applies all commits after A1B2C3 up to and including D4E5F6 onto the current branch.

B Git applies commits from A1B2C3 to D4E5F6 including A1B2C3 onto the current branch.

C Git applies only the commit A1B2C3 onto the current branch.

D Git applies commits from D4E5F6 to A1B2C3 in reverse order onto the current branch.

💡 Hint

Remember how git ranges work with two commit hashes separated by two dots.

The range A1B2C3..D4E5F6 means all commits after A1B2C3 up to and including D4E5F6. Git cherry-pick applies these commits in order onto the current branch.

🧠 Conceptual

intermediate

Understanding cherry-pick with multiple commits

Which statement correctly describes what happens when you cherry-pick multiple commits using git cherry-pick commit1 commit2 commit3?

A Git applies all commits simultaneously in parallel.

B Git applies only the last commit listed.

C Git applies the commits one by one in the order listed, stopping if a conflict occurs.

D Git applies the commits in reverse order from last to first.

💡 Hint

Think about how git handles conflicts during cherry-pick.

Git applies commits sequentially in the order given. If a conflict happens, it stops and asks for resolution before continuing.

❓ Troubleshoot

advanced

Resolving cherry-pick conflict scenario

You cherry-pick three commits but get a conflict on the second commit. What is the correct next step to continue cherry-picking the remaining commits?

A Resolve the conflict, stage the changes, then run <code>git cherry-pick --continue</code>.

B Abort the cherry-pick with <code>git cherry-pick --abort</code> and start over.

C Ignore the conflict and run <code>git cherry-pick --skip</code> to skip the second commit.

D Reset the branch to before cherry-pick and manually apply commits.

💡 Hint

How does git expect you to handle conflicts during cherry-pick?

When a conflict occurs, you must fix it, stage the resolved files, then continue cherry-picking with git cherry-pick --continue.

🔀 Workflow

advanced

Cherry-picking multiple commits with a script

You want to cherry-pick commits abc123, def456, and ghi789 in that order using a single command. Which command achieves this?

A git cherry-pick abc123,def456,ghi789

B git cherry-pick abc123..ghi789

C git cherry-pick abc123; git cherry-pick def456; git cherry-pick ghi789

D git cherry-pick abc123 def456 ghi789

💡 Hint

How does git accept multiple commits in one cherry-pick command?

You can list multiple commits separated by spaces in one cherry-pick command to apply them in order.

✅ Best Practice

expert

Best practice for cherry-picking multiple commits with dependencies

You need to cherry-pick three commits where the third depends on changes in the first two. What is the best practice to avoid conflicts and maintain history?

A Cherry-pick only the third commit since it includes all changes.

B Cherry-pick the commits in the original order one by one, resolving conflicts as they come.

C Squash all three commits into one and cherry-pick the single combined commit.

D Cherry-pick the commits in reverse order to apply dependencies first.

💡 Hint

Think about how dependencies between commits affect cherry-picking order.

Applying commits in their original order preserves dependencies and reduces conflicts. Skipping or reversing order can cause errors.

Practice

1. What does the git cherry-pick command do when used with multiple commit hashes?

easy

A. It applies the changes from each specified commit onto the current branch.

B. It merges the entire branch containing those commits into the current branch.

C. It deletes the specified commits from the current branch.

D. It creates a new branch with the specified commits only.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand cherry-pick purpose

   The git cherry-pick command copies changes from specific commits to the current branch without merging the whole branch.

2. Step 2: Effect of multiple commits

   When multiple commit hashes are listed, git applies each commit's changes one by one onto the current branch.

3. Final Answer:

   It applies the changes from each specified commit onto the current branch. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Cherry-pick = copy specific commits [OK]

Hint: Cherry-pick copies commits, it does NOT merge branches [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing cherry-pick with merge
• Thinking it deletes commits
• Assuming it creates a new branch

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to cherry-pick multiple commits with hashes a1b2c3 and d4e5f6?

easy

A. git cherry-pick --all a1b2c3 d4e5f6

B. git cherry-pick a1b2c3,d4e5f6

C. git cherry-pick -m a1b2c3 d4e5f6

D. git cherry-pick a1b2c3 d4e5f6

Solution

1. Step 1: Review cherry-pick syntax

   The correct way to cherry-pick multiple commits is to list their hashes separated by spaces, not commas or flags.

2. Step 2: Analyze options

   git cherry-pick a1b2c3 d4e5f6 uses spaces between commit hashes without extra flags, which is the correct syntax.

3. Final Answer:

   git cherry-pick a1b2c3 d4e5f6 -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Multiple commits separated by spaces [OK]

Hint: Separate commit hashes by spaces, not commas [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using commas between commit hashes
• Adding unnecessary flags
• Using incorrect options like --all

3. Given the following commands run on branch feature:

git checkout feature
git cherry-pick 123abc 456def

What will happen if both commits apply cleanly?

medium

A. Only the first commit 123abc will be applied, the second will be ignored.

B. The changes from commits 123abc and 456def will be added to the feature branch in order.

C. Git will merge the branches containing those commits into feature.

D. An error will occur because multiple commits cannot be cherry-picked at once.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand cherry-pick with multiple commits

   When multiple commits are cherry-picked, git applies each commit sequentially if no conflicts occur.

2. Step 2: Effect on current branch

   Since the branch is feature, the changes from both commits will be added in the order listed.

3. Final Answer:

   The changes from commits 123abc and 456def will be added to the feature branch in order. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Multiple commits apply sequentially [OK]

Hint: Cherry-pick applies commits one by one in order [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming only first commit applies
• Confusing cherry-pick with merge
• Thinking multiple commits cause errors

4. You run git cherry-pick abc123 def456 but get a conflict on the second commit. What should you do to continue cherry-picking the remaining commits?

medium

A. Fix the conflict, then run git cherry-pick --continue to proceed.

B. Abort the cherry-pick with git cherry-pick --abort and start over.

C. Run git reset --hard to discard changes and continue.

D. Use git cherry-pick --skip immediately without fixing conflicts.

Solution

1. Step 1: Handle conflicts during cherry-pick

   When a conflict occurs, you must manually fix it before continuing.

2. Step 2: Continue cherry-pick process

   After fixing conflicts, running git cherry-pick --continue resumes applying remaining commits.

3. Final Answer:

   Fix the conflict, then run git cherry-pick --continue to proceed. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Fix conflicts + git cherry-pick --continue [OK]

Hint: Fix conflicts then run git cherry-pick --continue [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Skipping conflicts without fixing
• Aborting instead of continuing
• Resetting hard loses work

5. You want to cherry-pick commits 111aaa, 222bbb, and 333ccc from branch dev onto main. However, 222bbb depends on changes in 111aaa, but 333ccc is unrelated. Which command correctly cherry-picks only the dependent commits in order?

hard

A. git checkout main && git cherry-pick 333ccc 111aaa 222bbb

B. git checkout main && git cherry-pick 222bbb 111aaa

C. git checkout main && git cherry-pick 111aaa 222bbb

D. git checkout main && git cherry-pick 111aaa,222bbb

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify dependent commits

   Since 222bbb depends on 111aaa, both must be cherry-picked in order to avoid errors.

2. Step 2: Choose correct command syntax and order

   git checkout main && git cherry-pick 111aaa 222bbb checks out main and cherry-picks commits in the correct order separated by spaces.

3. Final Answer:

   git checkout main && git cherry-pick 111aaa 222bbb -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Dependent commits cherry-picked in order [OK]

Hint: Cherry-pick dependent commits in order, skip unrelated [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Cherry-picking commits in wrong order
• Including unrelated commits unnecessarily
• Using commas instead of spaces