Folder hierarchy and paths in Intro to Computing - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

🧠 Conceptual

intermediate

Understanding Absolute vs Relative Paths

Which of the following best describes the difference between an absolute path and a relative path in a folder hierarchy?

A An absolute path uses only folder names, while a relative path uses folder numbers.

B An absolute path changes depending on the current folder, while a relative path always starts from the root folder.

C An absolute path is shorter than a relative path.

D An absolute path starts from the root folder, while a relative path starts from the current folder.

💡 Hint

Think about how you find a file starting from the main folder versus starting from where you are now.

An absolute path always starts from the root folder (like the main door of a building), while a relative path starts from the current folder (like starting from the room you are in).

❓ trace

intermediate

Tracing Folder Navigation Using Relative Paths

You are currently in the folder /home/user/documents. What folder will you reach if you use the relative path ../pictures/vacation?

A /home/user/pictures/vacation

B /home/user/documents/pictures/vacation

C /home/pictures/vacation

D /pictures/vacation

💡 Hint

The .. means go up one folder from your current location.

Starting at /home/user/documents, .. moves up to /home/user. Then adding pictures/vacation leads to /home/user/pictures/vacation.

❓ identification

advanced

Identifying the Correct Folder Path

Given the folder structure below, which path correctly points to the file report.txt located inside the 2024 folder?

/root
  ├── projects
  │    ├── 2023
  │    └── 2024
  │         └── report.txt
  └── archives

A /root/projects/2024/report.txt

B /root/archives/2024/report.txt

C /root/projects/2023/report.txt

D /root/2024/report.txt

💡 Hint

Look carefully at the folder tree and follow the path to report.txt.

The file report.txt is inside the 2024 folder, which is inside projects. So the full path is /root/projects/2024/report.txt.

❓ Comparison

advanced

Comparing Folder Paths in Different Operating Systems

Which statement correctly compares folder paths in Windows and Unix-like systems?

A Windows uses colons (:) to separate folders, while Unix-like systems use backslashes (\).

B Windows and Unix-like systems both use forward slashes (/) to separate folders.

C Windows uses backslashes (\) to separate folders, while Unix-like systems use forward slashes (/).

D Windows uses forward slashes (/), and Unix-like systems use backslashes (\).

💡 Hint

Think about how you type folder paths in Windows Explorer vs a Linux terminal.

Windows paths use backslashes (e.g., C:\Users\Documents), while Unix-like systems use forward slashes (e.g., /home/user/documents).

🚀 Application

expert

Determining the Number of Folder Levels in a Path

How many folder levels are in the following absolute path?

/var/www/html/projects/2024/site/index.html

A 8

B 6

C 5

D 7

💡 Hint

Count each folder name between slashes, excluding the file name.

The folders are: var, www, html, projects, 2024, site. That is 6 levels. The last part is a file, not a folder.