Select/filter for filtering in Ruby - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to select even numbers from the array.

Ruby

numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
even_numbers = numbers.select { |n| n.[1] }

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aeven?

Bodd?

Cnil?

Dzero?

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using odd? instead of even? selects odd numbers.

Using nil? or zero? causes errors or wrong results.

The select method filters elements for which the block returns true. Using even? selects even numbers.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to filter words longer than 4 characters.

Ruby

words = ['cat', 'elephant', 'dog', 'lion']
long_words = words.select { |word| word.length [1] 4 }

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A<

B<=

C>

D==

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using <= selects words shorter or equal to 4 characters.

Using == selects words exactly 4 characters long.

The block should return true for words longer than 4 characters, so use >.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the code to select numbers divisible by 3.

Ruby

numbers = [3, 5, 9, 10]
divisible_by_three = numbers.select { |num| num [1] 3 == 0 }

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Adiv

B%

Cmod

Dremainder

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using mod or div causes errors because they are not Ruby operators.

Using remainder is a method but requires different syntax.

The modulo operator % returns the remainder. Checking num % 3 == 0 finds numbers divisible by 3.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to create a hash of words and their lengths, filtering words shorter than 5 characters.

Ruby

words = ['apple', 'bat', 'car', 'dog']
lengths = words.select { |word| word.length < 5 }.map { |[1]| [[1], [2]] }.to_h

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aword

Bword.length

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Swapping keys and values.

Using incorrect variable names.

The hash keys are words (word) and values are their lengths (word.length), filtering words shorter than 5.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to select words starting with 'a' and convert them to uppercase.

Ruby

words = ['apple', 'banana', 'avocado', 'cherry']
result = words.select { |[1]| [2].start_with?('[3]') }.map(&:upcase)

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aword

Ca

Dw

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using wrong block variable names.

Using wrong starting letter.

The block variable is word. We check if word starts with 'a'. Then we convert selected words to uppercase.

Practice

1. What does the select method do in Ruby when used on an array?

easy

A. It returns a new array with elements that meet the condition in the block.

B. It changes the original array by removing elements that don't meet the condition.

C. It counts how many elements meet the condition in the block.

D. It sorts the array based on the block's return value.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of select

   The select method filters elements from an array based on a condition given in a block.

2. Step 2: Check the behavior of select

   It returns a new array containing only elements for which the block returns true, without changing the original array.

3. Final Answer:

   It returns a new array with elements that meet the condition in the block. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   select filters and returns new array [OK]

Hint: Remember: select returns a new filtered array, original stays same [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking select modifies the original array
• Confusing select with count or sort
• Believing select returns a single element

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to filter even numbers from an array nums using select?

easy

A. nums.select(n) { n % 2 == 0 }

B. nums.select do n n % 2 == 0 end

C. nums.select { n => n % 2 == 0 }

D. nums.select { |n| n % 2 == 0 }

Solution

1. Step 1: Review Ruby block syntax for select

   The select method requires a block with a parameter and a condition, usually written as { |param| condition }.

2. Step 2: Identify correct syntax

   nums.select { |n| n % 2 == 0 } uses correct block syntax with |n| and condition n % 2 == 0. Other options have syntax errors or wrong block usage.

3. Final Answer:

   nums.select { |n| n % 2 == 0 } -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Correct block syntax = nums.select { |n| n % 2 == 0 } [OK]

Hint: Use curly braces with |variable| for select blocks [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Missing vertical bars around block variable
• Using wrong block delimiters or syntax
• Passing argument inside select parentheses

3. What is the output of this Ruby code?

numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
even_numbers = numbers.select { |num| num.even? }
puts even_numbers.inspect

medium

A. [1, 3, 5]

B. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

C. [2, 4]

D. []

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the select block condition

   The block uses num.even? which returns true for even numbers only.

2. Step 2: Filter the array based on condition

   From [1, 2, 3, 4, 5], only 2 and 4 are even, so the new array is [2, 4].

3. Final Answer:

   [2, 4] -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   select with even? filters evens = [2, 4] [OK]

Hint: Remember even? returns true only for even numbers [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing even? with odd?
• Expecting original array unchanged output
• Forgetting select returns new filtered array

4. Find the error in this Ruby code that tries to filter strings longer than 3 characters:

words = ["cat", "dog", "elephant", "fox"]
long_words = words.select |word| word.length > 3
puts long_words.inspect

medium

A. Using select instead of filter

B. Missing curly braces or do..end around the block

C. Incorrect method name length instead of size

D. Using puts instead of print

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify block syntax error

   The code uses select |word| word.length > 3 without curly braces or do..end, which is invalid syntax.

2. Step 2: Correct block syntax

   It should be select { |word| word.length > 3 } or select do |word| word.length > 3 end.

3. Final Answer:

   Missing curly braces or do..end around the block -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Block syntax requires braces or do..end [OK]

Hint: Always wrap select block with {} or do..end [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Omitting block delimiters
• Confusing length and size methods (both work but length is correct)
• Thinking select and filter are different methods

5. Given a hash scores = { alice: 50, bob: 75, carol: 40, dave: 90 }, how do you select only the key-value pairs where the score is 50 or more?

hard

A. scores.select { |name, score| score >= 50 }

B. scores.filter { |score| score >= 50 }

C. scores.select { |name| name >= 50 }

D. scores.filter { |name, score| name >= 50 }

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand hash select/filter usage

   When using select on a hash, the block receives two parameters: key and value.

2. Step 2: Apply condition on value (score)

   We want pairs where score >= 50, so the block should check score >= 50.

3. Step 3: Identify correct syntax

   scores.select { |name, score| score >= 50 } correctly uses |name, score| score >= 50. The other options have wrong parameters or conditions.

4. Final Answer:

   scores.select { |name, score| score >= 50 } -> Option A

5. Quick Check:

   Hash select with two block params and value condition [OK]

Hint: Use two block variables for hash select: |key, value| [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using only one block variable for hash select
• Checking condition on key instead of value
• Confusing select and filter with wrong parameters