Anchor tag basics in HTML - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

❓ rendering

intermediate

What is the visible text of this anchor tag?

Look at the anchor tag below. What text will you see on the webpage?

HTML

<a href="https://example.com">Visit Example</a>

A https://example.com

B Click here

C example.com

D Visit Example

💡 Hint

The text between and tags is what shows on the page.

The anchor tag shows the text inside it as clickable link text. Here, it is 'Visit Example'.

🧠 Conceptual

intermediate

What does the href attribute do in an anchor tag?

Choose the best description of the href attribute in an anchor tag.

A It defines the URL the link points to.

B It sets the color of the link text.

C It makes the link open in a new tab.

D It adds a tooltip when hovering over the link.

💡 Hint

Think about what happens when you click a link.

The href attribute tells the browser where to go when the link is clicked.

📝 Syntax

advanced

Which anchor tag opens the link in a new browser tab?

Select the anchor tag code that opens the link in a new tab when clicked.

A <a href="https://example.com" newtab>Open in new tab</a>

B <a href="https://example.com" target="new">Open in new tab</a>

C <a href="https://example.com" target="_blank">Open in new tab</a>

D <a href="https://example.com" open="new">Open in new tab</a>

💡 Hint

The target attribute controls where the link opens.

Using target="_blank" tells the browser to open the link in a new tab or window.

❓ accessibility

advanced

Which anchor tag is best for accessibility?

Choose the anchor tag that improves accessibility by describing the link purpose clearly.

A <a href="https://example.com">Click here</a>

B <a href="https://example.com" aria-label="Visit Example website">Example</a>

C <a href="https://example.com">Example</a>

D <a href="https://example.com" title="Example">Link</a>

💡 Hint

Screen readers use aria-label to describe links better.

Adding aria-label with a clear description helps users who rely on screen readers understand the link's purpose.

❓ selector

expert

Which CSS selector styles only anchor tags inside a nav element?

Select the CSS selector that applies styles only to anchor tags inside a

element.

A nav a { color: blue; }

B a nav { color: blue; }

C nav > a { color: blue; }

D a > nav { color: blue; }

💡 Hint

Think about how CSS selects child elements inside parents.

The selector 'nav a' targets all anchor tags inside any nav element, regardless of depth.

Practice

1. What does the <a> tag do in HTML?

easy

A. Creates a clickable link to another page or resource

B. Defines a paragraph of text

C. Inserts an image into the page

D. Adds a heading to the page

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of the <a> tag

   The <a> tag is used to create links that users can click to go to other pages or resources.

2. Step 2: Compare with other tags

   Other tags like <p>, <img>, and <h1> serve different purposes such as paragraphs, images, and headings.

3. Final Answer:

   Creates a clickable link to another page or resource -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Anchor tag = clickable link [OK]

Hint: Anchor tag always creates clickable links [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing <a> with <p> or <img>
• Thinking <a> adds images or text formatting
• Ignoring the clickable nature of <a>

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to create a link to "https://example.com" with the text "Visit Example"?

easy

A. Visit Example

B. Visit Example

C. Visit Example

D. https://example.com

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the correct attribute for link destination

   The correct attribute to specify the link URL is href inside the <a> tag.

2. Step 2: Check the tag and attribute usage

   <a href="https://example.com">Visit Example</a> uses <a> with href and link text correctly. Other options use wrong attributes or tags.

3. Final Answer:

   <a href="https://example.com">Visit Example</a> -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Use <a href="URL">text</a> for links [OK]

Hint: Use href attribute inside <a> for links [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using url instead of href attribute
• Using <link> tag instead of <a>
• Omitting href attribute

3. What will the following HTML code display in the browser?

<a href="#section2">Go to Section 2</a>
<h2 id="section2">Section 2</h2>

medium

A. A link that opens a new tab to a page named 'section2'

B. An error message because href cannot start with #

C. A clickable link labeled 'Go to Section 2' that scrolls to the heading 'Section 2' on the same page

D. Plain text 'Go to Section 2' with no link

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand href with # and id attribute

   The href="#section2" links to an element with id="section2" on the same page, causing the page to scroll there.

2. Step 2: Check the displayed content

   The link text 'Go to Section 2' is clickable and scrolls to the heading labeled 'Section 2'.

3. Final Answer:

   A clickable link labeled 'Go to Section 2' that scrolls to the heading 'Section 2' on the same page -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   href="#id" scrolls to element with that id [OK]

Hint: href="#id" links inside same page [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking # means new page or error
• Expecting new tab to open
• Ignoring id attribute connection

4. Find the error in this anchor tag code:

<a href="www.example.com">Example</a>

medium

A. href attribute should be written as link

B. Incorrect closing tag, should be <a />

C. Text 'Example' should be inside quotes

D. Missing protocol like https:// in href URL

Solution

1. Step 1: Check href URL format

   The href value 'www.example.com' lacks the protocol (http:// or https://), so the browser treats it as a relative link.

2. Step 2: Understand correct URL usage

   To link to an external site, the URL must include the protocol like 'https://www.example.com'.

3. Final Answer:

   Missing protocol like https:// in href URL -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   External links need full URL with protocol [OK]

Hint: Always include https:// for external links [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Omitting https:// causes relative link errors
• Using self-closing tag incorrectly
• Misnaming href attribute

5. You want to create an email link that opens the user's email program to send mail to "[e-mail]". Which anchor tag is correct?

hard

A. Send Email

B. Send Email

C. Send Email

D. Send Email

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the correct protocol for email links

   Email links use the mailto: protocol in the href attribute to open the email client.

2. Step 2: Check each option's syntax

   <a href="mailto:[e-mail]">Send Email</a> uses mailto:[e-mail] correctly. <a href="email:[e-mail]">Send Email</a> uses wrong protocol 'email:', while others lack the protocol or use incorrect formats like 'mailto://'.

3. Final Answer:

   <a href="mailto:[e-mail]">Send Email</a> -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Email links use mailto: prefix [OK]

Hint: Use mailto: before email address in href [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using email: instead of mailto:
• Omitting mailto: prefix
• Adding extra slashes after mailto: