git cherry-pick a single commit - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

💻 Command Output

intermediate

Output of cherry-pick with a valid commit hash

What is the output when you run git cherry-pick 1a2b3c4 on a branch where the commit 1a2b3c4 exists and applies cleanly?

A error: could not apply 1a2b3c4... Commit message

B Finished one cherry-pick.

C fatal: bad revision '1a2b3c4'

D Already up to date.

💡 Hint

Cherry-pick applies the commit if it can without conflicts.

When the commit exists and applies cleanly, git cherry-pick outputs 'Finished one cherry-pick.'

🧠 Conceptual

intermediate

Understanding cherry-pick behavior on conflicts

What happens if you run git cherry-pick abcdef1 and the changes conflict with your current branch?

A Git pauses and asks you to resolve conflicts before continuing.

B Git automatically merges the changes without any message.

C Git deletes the conflicting files.

D Git discards the cherry-pick and leaves the branch unchanged.

💡 Hint

Cherry-pick stops when conflicts occur.

Git stops the cherry-pick process and asks you to resolve conflicts manually before continuing.

🔀 Workflow

advanced

Correct sequence to cherry-pick and resolve conflicts

Arrange the steps in the correct order to cherry-pick a commit and resolve conflicts if they occur.

A 1,4,2,3

B 2,1,3,4

C 1,2,3,4

D 1,3,2,4

💡 Hint

Cherry-pick stops on conflicts, you fix them, stage changes, then continue.

The correct workflow is to cherry-pick, fix conflicts, stage resolved files, then continue cherry-pick.

❓ Troubleshoot

advanced

Error when cherry-picking a non-existent commit

What error message do you get if you run git cherry-pick deadbeef but the commit hash deadbeef does not exist in your repository?

A fatal: bad revision 'deadbeef'

B error: could not apply deadbeef... Commit message

C Already up to date.

D Finished one cherry-pick.

💡 Hint

Git cannot find the commit hash in the repo.

Git reports 'fatal: bad revision' when the commit hash is invalid or missing.

✅ Best Practice

expert

Best practice to avoid duplicate commits when cherry-picking

Which practice helps avoid duplicate commits when cherry-picking a commit that might already be in your branch history?

A Delete the branch before cherry-picking.

B Always force push after cherry-pick to overwrite history.

C Run <code>git cherry-pick --abort</code> after every cherry-pick.

D Use <code>git cherry-pick -x</code> to record the original commit hash in the message.

💡 Hint

Tracking original commit helps identify duplicates.

Using 'git cherry-pick -x' adds the original commit hash to the commit message, helping track duplicates.

Practice

1. What does the git cherry-pick command do?

easy

A. Creates a new branch from the current commit

B. Deletes a commit from the current branch

C. Merges two branches completely

D. Copies a specific commit from another branch to the current branch

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of git cherry-pick

   The command is used to copy a single commit from one branch to another without merging all changes.

2. Step 2: Compare with other git commands

   Unlike merge, cherry-pick applies only one commit, not the entire branch history.

3. Final Answer:

   Copies a specific commit from another branch to the current branch -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   git cherry-pick = copy single commit [OK]

Hint: Cherry-pick copies one commit, not whole branch [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing cherry-pick with merge
• Thinking it deletes commits
• Assuming it creates branches

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to cherry-pick a commit with hash abc123?

easy

A. git cherry-pick abc123

B. git cherry-pick -m abc123

C. git cherry-pick --commit abc123

D. git cherry-pick commit abc123

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall the basic cherry-pick syntax

   The command is git cherry-pick <commit-hash> to apply a single commit.

2. Step 2: Check the options given

   Only git cherry-pick abc123 matches the correct syntax without extra or incorrect flags.

3. Final Answer:

   git cherry-pick abc123 -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Correct syntax = git cherry-pick commit_hash [OK]

Hint: Use git cherry-pick followed by commit hash [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Adding unnecessary flags
• Using incorrect keywords like 'commit'
• Confusing with merge options

3. Given the following commands run on branch main:

git checkout main
git cherry-pick 1a2b3c4

What will happen after these commands?

medium

A. The commit with hash 1a2b3c4 is applied to main branch

B. A new branch named 1a2b3c4 is created

C. The main branch is reset to commit 1a2b3c4

D. The commit 1a2b3c4 is deleted from the repository

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the effect of git cherry-pick

   Running git cherry-pick 1a2b3c4 applies that commit's changes onto the current branch, here main.

2. Step 2: Analyze other options

   No new branch is created, no reset happens, and commits are not deleted by cherry-pick.

3. Final Answer:

   The commit with hash 1a2b3c4 is applied to main branch -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Cherry-pick applies commit to current branch [OK]

Hint: Cherry-pick applies commit changes to current branch [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking it creates branches
• Confusing cherry-pick with reset
• Assuming it deletes commits

4. You run git cherry-pick abcdef but get a conflict error. What should you do next?

medium

A. Abort the cherry-pick with git cherry-pick --abort and try again

B. Manually resolve the conflicts, then run git cherry-pick --continue

C. Delete the conflicting files and commit

D. Run git reset --hard to fix the conflict

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand conflict during cherry-pick

   Conflicts mean git cannot automatically apply changes; manual resolution is needed.

2. Step 2: Resolve conflicts and continue

   After fixing conflicts in files, run git cherry-pick --continue to finish applying the commit.

3. Final Answer:

   Manually resolve the conflicts, then run git cherry-pick --continue -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

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

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

Common Mistakes:

• Aborting without trying to fix
• Deleting files instead of resolving
• Using reset which discards changes

5. You want to apply a commit from branch feature to main without merging all changes. The commit hash is f1e2d3c. Which sequence of commands correctly does this?

hard

A. git checkout main
git merge f1e2d3c

B. git checkout feature
git cherry-pick f1e2d3c
git checkout main

C. git checkout main
git cherry-pick f1e2d3c

D. git checkout main
git rebase feature

Solution

1. Step 1: Switch to the target branch

   You must be on main to apply the commit there.

2. Step 2: Cherry-pick the specific commit

   Run git cherry-pick f1e2d3c to copy that commit from feature branch.

3. Step 3: Analyze other options

   Switching to feature, cherry-picking there, then switching back to main does not apply the commit to main, as cherry-pick affects the current branch. Merge and rebase apply entire branches, not a single commit.

4. Final Answer:

   git checkout main git cherry-pick f1e2d3c -> Option C

5. Quick Check:

   Checkout target branch + cherry-pick commit [OK]

Hint: Checkout target branch first, then cherry-pick commit [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Cherry-picking on wrong branch
• Using merge or rebase instead of cherry-pick
• Not switching branches before cherry-pick