Anchor tag basics in HTML - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is the purpose of the <a> tag in HTML?

The <a> tag creates a clickable link that can take you to another webpage, a different part of the same page, or start an email.

beginner

What attribute of the <a> tag specifies the destination URL?

The href attribute sets the URL where the link will go when clicked.

beginner

How do you make a link open in a new browser tab?

Add target="_blank" to the <a> tag to open the link in a new tab.

intermediate

Why should you use the rel="noopener noreferrer" attribute with target="_blank"?

It improves security and privacy by preventing the new page from accessing the original page's window object.

beginner

What does this anchor tag do? <a href="#section2">Go to Section 2</a>

It links to a part of the same page with the ID section2, scrolling the page to that section.

Which attribute is required to make an <a> tag a clickable link?

A href

B src

C alt

D title

The href attribute defines the link's destination URL.

What happens if you omit the href attribute in an <a> tag?

A The link opens in a new tab.

B The link will not be clickable.

C The link downloads a file.

D The link scrolls to the top of the page.

Without href, the <a> tag is not a link and is not clickable.

How do you make a link open in the same tab?

A No attribute needed; default is same tab

B Add <code>target="_blank"</code>

C Add <code>rel="noopener"</code>

D Add <code>target="_self"</code>

By default, links open in the same tab without extra attributes.

What does href="#top" do in an anchor tag?

A Opens a new tab

B Links to a page named 'top'

C Links to the top of the current page

D Downloads a file named 'top'

The hash (#) links to an element with the ID 'top' on the same page.

Which attribute improves security when using target="_blank"?

A href="noopener"

B alt="noopener"

C target="_self"

D rel="noopener noreferrer"

Adding rel="noopener noreferrer" prevents the new page from accessing the original page.

Explain how to create a link that opens a new website in a new browser tab using the anchor tag.

Think about the attributes needed for the link destination and opening behavior.

Describe how you can link to a specific section within the same webpage using an anchor tag.

Consider how the URL can point to a part of the current page.

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: