Using if as expression in Rust - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to assign the correct value using if as an expression.

Rust

let number = 5;
let result = if number > 0 [1] "positive" else "non-positive";
println!("{}", result);

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

A{

B==

C>

D;

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using comparison operators like '==' instead of starting a block.

Ending the line with a semicolon which would make the expression unit type.

The if expression must be followed by a block {} when it has multiple statements or to clearly define the expression. Here, { starts the block.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to assign the correct string based on the value of score using if as an expression.

Rust

let score = 85;
let grade = if score >= 90 [1] "A" else "B";
println!("Grade: {}", grade);

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

A{

B;

C==

D>

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using a semicolon after the condition which ends the expression.

Using comparison operators instead of starting a block.

The if expression must be followed by a block {} to return a value. Here, { starts the block for the true branch.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the code by completing the if expression correctly.

Rust

let x = 10;
let y = if x < 5 [1] 1 else 2;
println!("{}", y);

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

A==

B;

C{

D:

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using a semicolon after the condition which ends the expression.

Using comparison operators instead of braces.

The if expression must have a block {} to return a value. Here, { starts the block for the true branch.

4fill in blank

hard

Complete the code to create a dictionary comprehension that uses if as an expression.

Rust

let words = ["apple", "bee", "cat"];
let lengths = words.iter().map(|word| (word, word.len() { 3 {BLANK_2}} "long" else "short")).collect::<Vec<_>>();

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

A>

B<

C{

D;

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Not using curly braces for the if expression.

Using the wrong comparison operator.

The if expression needs a block {} and a comparison operator > to check if the length is greater than 3.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to assign a value using nested if expressions.

Rust

let num = 7;
let description = if num [1] 0 [2] "positive" else if num [3] 0 {"negative"} else {"zero"};

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

A>

B<

C==

D>=

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using wrong comparison operators that do not cover all cases.

Missing braces for the nested if expression.

The first condition checks if num is greater than 0, the else if checks if it is greater or equal to 0, and the last else covers the negative case with less than 0.

Practice

1. What does using if as an expression in Rust allow you to do?

easy

A. Define functions inside an if statement

B. Only execute code blocks without returning values

C. Assign a value based on a condition directly to a variable

D. Create loops that run while a condition is true

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the role of if as expression

   In Rust, if can return a value, unlike some languages where it only controls flow.

2. Step 2: Recognize assignment usage

   This means you can assign a variable directly using let x = if condition { value1 } else { value2 };.

3. Final Answer:

   Assign a value based on a condition directly to a variable -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   if as expression = assign value [OK]

Hint: Think of if as a value picker, not just a decision maker [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking if can't return values
• Confusing if expression with loops
• Assuming if can define functions

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax for using if as an expression to assign a value in Rust?

easy

A. let x = if (condition) then 10 else 20;

B. let x = if condition { 10 } else { 20 };

C. let x = if condition: 10 else: 20;

D. let x = if condition { 10 } else 20;

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall Rust if expression syntax

   Rust uses curly braces for blocks and requires both if and else blocks to be enclosed in braces when returning values.

2. Step 2: Check each option

   let x = if condition { 10 } else { 20 }; correctly uses if condition { 10 } else { 20 };. Others use invalid syntax like missing braces or keywords.

3. Final Answer:

   let x = if condition { 10 } else { 20 }; -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Correct Rust if expression syntax = let x = if condition { 10 } else { 20 }; [OK]

Hint: Remember: Rust uses braces {} for both if and else blocks [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Omitting braces around else block
• Using 'then' keyword (not in Rust)
• Using colons instead of braces

3. What is the output of this Rust code?

let number = 7;
let result = if number % 2 == 0 { "even" } else { "odd" };
println!("{}", result);

medium

A. even

B. 7

C. Compilation error

D. odd

Solution

1. Step 1: Evaluate the condition

   The condition checks if 7 modulo 2 equals 0. Since 7 % 2 is 1, the condition is false.

2. Step 2: Determine which branch runs

   Because the condition is false, the else branch runs, returning "odd".

3. Final Answer:

   odd -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   7 is odd = odd [OK]

Hint: Check the condition result carefully before picking output [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming 7 % 2 == 0 is true
• Confusing output with the number itself
• Expecting a syntax error

4. Identify the error in this Rust code using if as expression:

let x = if true { 5 } else { "five" };

medium

A. Mismatched types in if and else branches

B. Missing semicolon after else block

C. Cannot use if as expression in let binding

D. Condition must be a variable, not a literal

Solution

1. Step 1: Check types returned by if and else

   The if branch returns an integer 5, the else branch returns a string "five".

2. Step 2: Understand Rust type rules for if expressions

   Both branches must return the same type because the if expression must have a single consistent type.

3. Final Answer:

   Mismatched types in if and else branches -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   if branches must match types = Mismatched types in if and else branches [OK]

Hint: Ensure both if and else return same type [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Ignoring type mismatch errors
• Thinking semicolon is missing
• Believing literals can't be conditions

5. You want to assign a variable status based on a score: if score >= 90, status is "Excellent"; if score >= 60, status is "Pass"; otherwise, "Fail". Which Rust code correctly uses nested if expressions to do this?

hard

A. let status = if score >= 90 { "Excellent" } else if score >= 60 { "Pass" } else { "Fail" };

B. let status = if score >= 90 { "Excellent" } else { if score >= 60 { "Pass" } else "Fail" };

C. let status = if score >= 90 { "Excellent" } else if score >= 60 { "Pass" }; else { "Fail" };

D. let status = if score >= 90 { "Excellent" } else { "Pass" } else { "Fail" };

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand nested if expressions

   Rust supports chaining if and else if expressions to select among multiple conditions.

2. Step 2: Check syntax correctness

   let status = if score >= 90 { "Excellent" } else if score >= 60 { "Pass" } else { "Fail" }; correctly uses else if and ends with else block. let status = if score >= 90 { "Excellent" } else { if score >= 60 { "Pass" } else { "Fail" } }; nests if inside else but is more verbose. Options C and D have syntax errors.

3. Final Answer:

   let status = if score >= 90 { "Excellent" } else if score >= 60 { "Pass" } else { "Fail" }; -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Use else if for clean multi-condition if expressions [OK]

Hint: Use else if for multiple conditions, not nested if inside else [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Missing else block causing syntax error
• Incorrect semicolon placement
• Using multiple else blocks