Video tag basics in HTML - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

❓ rendering

intermediate

What will this video tag display?

Look at this HTML code for a video. What will you see in the browser?

HTML

<video width="320" height="240" controls>
  <source src="movie.mp4" type="video/mp4">
  Your browser does not support the video tag.
</video>

A A video player with controls that plays movie.mp4 if supported.

B Just the text 'Your browser does not support the video tag.' with no video player.

C A blank box with no controls or video.

D An error message displayed by the browser.

💡 Hint

Think about what the

The

📝 Syntax

intermediate

Which option correctly adds autoplay to a video?

You want the video to start playing automatically when the page loads. Which code snippet does this correctly?

A

<video controls autoplay="true">
  <source src="clip.mp4" type="video/mp4">
</video>

B

<video autoplay controls>
  <source src="clip.mp4" type="video/mp4">
</video>

C

<video controls autoplay="autoplay">
  <source src="clip.mp4" type="video/mp4">
</video>

D

<video controls autoplay="yes">
  <source src="clip.mp4" type="video/mp4">
</video>

💡 Hint

The autoplay attribute is a boolean attribute in HTML5.

In HTML5, boolean attributes like autoplay do not need a value. Just writing autoplay is enough. Adding values like 'true' or 'yes' is not standard and may not work.

❓ accessibility

advanced

How to make a video accessible for screen readers?

Which option best improves accessibility for a video element so screen readers understand it?

A Add an alt attribute with a description of the video.

B Add a longdesc attribute with a link to a transcript.

C Add a title attribute with the video file name.

D Add a <track> element with kind="captions" and a label describing the captions.

💡 Hint

Think about how captions help deaf or hard-of-hearing users.

The element with kind="captions" provides subtitles for the video, which screen readers and users with hearing difficulties can use. The alt attribute is not valid on

❓ layout

advanced

How to make a video responsive using CSS?

You want the video to resize nicely on different screen sizes. Which CSS snippet achieves this?

HTML

<video controls src="sample.mp4"></video>

A video { width: 100%; height: auto; max-width: 600px; }

B video { width: 600px; height: 400px; }

C video { max-width: 100%; height: 100%; }

D video { width: auto; height: auto; }

💡 Hint

Think about keeping the video width flexible but not too large.

Setting width to 100% and height to auto makes the video scale with its container width while keeping the aspect ratio. max-width limits the maximum size on large screens.

🧠 Conceptual

expert

What happens if multiple tags are used inside a video?

Consider this code snippet: What is the browser's behavior?

A The browser randomly picks one source to play.

B The browser plays all sources one after another automatically.

C The browser tries to play the first supported source in order and ignores the rest.

D The browser shows an error because multiple sources are not allowed.

💡 Hint

Think about how browsers handle different video formats for compatibility.

Browsers check each in order and use the first one they support. This allows providing multiple formats for better compatibility.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of the <video> tag in HTML?

easy

A. To embed videos directly on a webpage

B. To create audio playlists

C. To add images to a webpage

D. To style text content

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the role of the <video> tag

   The <video> tag is designed to embed video content directly into HTML pages.

2. Step 2: Compare with other options

   Options A, B, and C relate to audio, images, and text styling, which are not the purpose of <video>.

3. Final Answer:

   To embed videos directly on a webpage -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   <video> tag = embed videos [OK]

Hint: Remember: <video> is for videos, not audio or images [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing <video> with <audio> tag
• Thinking <video> adds images
• Assuming <video> styles text

2. Which of the following is the correct way to add playback controls to a video using the <video> tag?

easy

A. <video src="movie.mp4" play></video>

B. <video src="movie.mp4" playcontrols></video>

C. <video src="movie.mp4" control></video>

D. <video src="movie.mp4" controls></video>

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the correct attribute for controls

   The correct attribute to add playback controls is controls without any extra letters.

2. Step 2: Check each option's attribute spelling

   <video src="movie.mp4" controls></video> uses controls correctly; others have incorrect or non-existent attributes.

3. Final Answer:

   <video src="movie.mp4" controls></video> -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Use controls attribute to add buttons [OK]

Hint: Use exactly 'controls' attribute to show video buttons [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Misspelling 'controls' as 'control' or 'playcontrols'
• Using non-existent attributes like 'play'
• Forgetting to close the video tag properly

3. What will the following HTML code do when opened in a modern browser?

<video controls>
  <source src="video.webm" type="video/webm">
  <source src="video.mp4" type="video/mp4">
  Your browser does not support the video tag.
</video>

medium

A. Show error message and no video

B. Play video.mp4 only, ignoring video.webm

C. Play video.webm if supported, else video.mp4

D. Play both videos simultaneously

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand multiple <source> tags in <video>

   The browser tries each <source> in order and plays the first supported format.

2. Step 2: Analyze the source order and browser support

   If the browser supports WebM, it plays video.webm; otherwise, it falls back to video.mp4.

3. Final Answer:

   Play video.webm if supported, else video.mp4 -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Multiple sources = fallback to supported video [OK]

Hint: Browser picks first supported source in order [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming both videos play at once
• Thinking only the last source is used
• Ignoring fallback text for unsupported browsers

4. Identify the error in this video tag code:

<video src="movie.mp4" controls>
  <source src="movie.webm" type="video/webm">
</video>

medium

A. The controls attribute is misspelled

B. The src attribute should not be used with <source> tags inside <video>

C. The <source> tag is missing a closing slash

D. The <video> tag cannot have multiple sources

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand usage of src and <source> tags

   When using multiple <source> tags, the src attribute on <video> should be omitted to avoid conflicts.

2. Step 2: Check other options for errors

   controls is spelled correctly, <source> tags do not require closing slashes in HTML5, and multiple sources are allowed.

3. Final Answer:

   The src attribute should not be used with <source> tags inside <video> -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Use either src or <source>, not both [OK]

Hint: Don't mix video src attribute with source tags [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using src on video with source tags
• Thinking <source> needs closing slash
• Believing controls attribute is misspelled

5. You want to embed a video that automatically plays, loops, and is muted by default for better user experience. Which of the following is the correct <video> tag to achieve this?

hard

A. <video src="clip.mp4" autoplay loop muted></video>

B. <video src="clip.mp4" autoplay muted></video>

C. <video src="clip.mp4" autoplay loop controls></video>

D. <video src="clip.mp4" loop controls></video>

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify required attributes for autoplay, loop, and mute

   The attributes autoplay, loop, and muted enable automatic play, repeating, and silent start respectively.

2. Step 2: Check which option includes all three without extra controls

   <video src="clip.mp4" autoplay loop muted></video> has all three attributes and no controls, matching the requirement exactly.

3. Final Answer:

   <video src="clip.mp4" autoplay loop muted></video> -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Use autoplay, loop, muted together for silent looping video [OK]

Hint: Combine autoplay, loop, muted attributes for silent looping video [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Forgetting muted causes autoplay to block
• Adding controls when not needed
• Missing one of the required attributes