Print statement in PHP - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

❓ Predict Output

intermediate

What is the output of this PHP print statement?

Look at the PHP code below. What will it print when run?

PHP

<?php
print "Hello, " . "world!";
?>

A Hello,world!

B Hello, world!

C Hello world!

D Hello world

💡 Hint

Remember that the dot (.) joins strings exactly as they are.

The dot operator concatenates strings without adding or removing spaces. So "Hello, " and "world!" join exactly as 'Hello, world!'.

❓ Predict Output

intermediate

What does this print statement output?

What will this PHP code print?

PHP

<?php
print(5 + 3);
?>

A 8

B 5 + 3

C 53

D Error

💡 Hint

The plus sign adds numbers, not strings, when used with numbers.

The expression 5 + 3 evaluates to 8, so print outputs 8.

❓ Predict Output

advanced

What is the output of this PHP print with variables?

What will this PHP code print?

PHP

<?php
$name = "Alice";
print "Hello, $name!";
?>

A Hello, !

B Hello, $name!

C Hello, Alice!

D Error

💡 Hint

Variables inside double quotes are replaced by their values.

In double quotes, PHP replaces $name with its value 'Alice', so it prints 'Hello, Alice!'.

❓ Predict Output

advanced

What error does this PHP print statement cause?

What error will this PHP code produce?

PHP

<?php
print 'Hello, $name!';
?>

A Undefined variable error

B Prints Hello, Alice!

C Parse error

D Prints Hello, $name!

💡 Hint

Single quotes do not replace variables with their values.

Single quotes print the string exactly as is, so it prints 'Hello, $name!'. No error occurs.

❓ Predict Output

expert

What is the output of this complex PHP print statement?

What will this PHP code print?

PHP

<?php
print "Sum: " . (2 + 3) . ", Product: " . (2 * 3);
?>

A Sum: 5, Product: 6

B Sum: 56

C Sum: 5, Product: 2

D Error

💡 Hint

Remember operator precedence: concatenation (.) and multiplication (*) have different priorities.

Operator precedence dictates that * has higher precedence than ., so 2 * 3 = 6 first. Then the concatenations happen left-to-right: "Sum: " . 5 . ", Product: " . 6 results in "Sum: 5, Product: 6".

Practice

1. What does the print statement do in PHP?

easy

A. It shows text or values on the screen.

B. It saves data to a file.

C. It creates a new variable.

D. It deletes a file.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of print

   The print statement is used to display output on the screen in PHP.

2. Step 2: Compare options with print's function

   Only It shows text or values on the screen. correctly describes this behavior; others describe unrelated actions.

3. Final Answer:

   It shows text or values on the screen. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Print = Show output [OK]

Hint: Print always outputs text or values to the screen [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking print saves or deletes files
• Confusing print with variable creation
• Assuming print modifies data silently

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to print the text Hello World in PHP?

easy

A. print(Hello World);

B. print "Hello World";

C. print "Hello World"

D. print 'Hello World'

Solution

1. Step 1: Check for quotes around text

   Text must be inside quotes to be printed correctly in PHP.

2. Step 2: Check for semicolon at the end

   PHP statements must end with a semicolon; only print "Hello World"; has both quotes and semicolon.

3. Final Answer:

   print "Hello World"; -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Quotes + semicolon = correct print syntax [OK]

Hint: Text must be in quotes and end with semicolon [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Omitting quotes around text
• Missing semicolon at the end
• Using parentheses without quotes

3. What will be the output of the following PHP code?

print 123;
print " apples";

medium

A. 123apples

B. 123" apples"

C. 123 apples

D. Error: missing semicolon

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze first print statement

   print 123; prints the number 123 without quotes.

2. Step 2: Analyze second print statement

   print " apples"; prints the text ' apples' with a space before apples.

3. Step 3: Combine outputs

   Both prints run one after another, so output is '123 apples'.

4. Final Answer:

   123 apples -> Option C

5. Quick Check:

   Number + text prints together = 123 apples [OK]

Hint: Print numbers without quotes, text with quotes, outputs join [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Expecting quotes to print literally
• Missing space between number and text
• Thinking missing semicolon causes error here

4. Identify the error in this PHP code:

print "Hello World"

medium

A. Missing semicolon at the end

B. Quotes should be single quotes

C. print should be uppercase

D. Missing parentheses around text

Solution

1. Step 1: Check statement ending

   PHP statements must end with a semicolon; this code misses it.

2. Step 2: Verify other syntax parts

   Quotes can be single or double, print is case-insensitive, parentheses optional.

3. Final Answer:

   Missing semicolon at the end -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Semicolon missing = syntax error [OK]

Hint: Always end print statements with a semicolon [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Forgetting semicolon at line end
• Thinking print must be uppercase
• Adding unnecessary parentheses

5. How can you print the phrase PHP version: 8.1 using a single print statement with a variable $version = 8.1;?

hard

A. print "PHP version: $version";

B. print 'PHP version: $version';

C. print PHP version: $version;

D. print ("PHP version: " . $version);

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand variable interpolation in quotes

   Double quotes allow variables inside text to be replaced; single quotes do not.

2. Step 2: Check each option

   print "PHP version: $version"; would work but misses semicolon; print 'PHP version: $version'; prints variable name literally; print PHP version: $version; is syntax error; print ("PHP version: " . $version); concatenates string and variable correctly with semicolon.

3. Final Answer:

   print ("PHP version: " . $version); -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Concatenate string and variable with dot and semicolon [OK]

Hint: Use dot (.) to join strings and variables in print [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using single quotes with variables expecting interpolation
• Omitting semicolon
• Not concatenating strings and variables properly