Intermediate Research Software Development: Quiz

This is an intermediate-level software development course so it is expected for you to have some prerequisite knowledge on the topics covered, as outlined at the beginning of the lesson. Here is a little quiz that you can do to test your prior knowledge to determine where you fit on the skills spectrum and if this course is for you.

Git

1. Which command should you use to initialise a new Git repository?

    a. git bash
    b. git install
    c. git init
    d. git start
   

   Solution

   git init is the command to initialise a Git repository and tell Git to start tracking files in it. git bash, git start and git install are not Git commands and will return an error.

2. After you initialise a new Git repository and create a file named LICENCE.md in the root of the repository, which of the following commands will not work?

    a. git add LICENCE.md  
    b. git status  
    c. git add .  
    d. git commit -m "Licence file added"
   

   Solution

   git commit -m "Licence file added" won’t work because you need to add the file to Git’s staging area first before you can commit.

3. git clone command downloads and creates a local repository from a remote repository. Which command can then be used to upload your local changes back to the remote repository?

    a. git push  
    b. git add  
    c. git upload  
    d. git commit  
   

   Solution

   git push is the correct command. git add adds a file to the local staging area, git commit commits the staged changes to the local repository and git push will push those committed changes to the remote repository. git upload is not a Git command and will return an error.

Shell

1. In the command line shell, which command can you use to see the directory you are currently in?

    a. whereami  
    b. locate  
    c. map  
    d. pwd  
   

   Solution

   pwd (which stands for ‘print working directory’) is the correct command.

2. Which command do you use to go to the parent directory of the directory you are currently in?

    a. cd -  
    b. cd ~  
    c. cd /up  
    d. cd ..  
   

   Solution

   cd .. is the correct command. cd - goes to the previous location in history (not parent). cd ~ goes to the home folder. cd /up goes to a folder up in the root (/) of the file system.

3. How can you append the output of a command to a file?

    a. command > file  
    b. command >> file  
    c. command file  
    d. command < file 
   

   Solution

   command >> file is the correct command. command > file will redirect the output of a command to a file and overwrite its content, command file will pass the file as an argument to the command and command < file redirects input rather than output.

Python

1. Which of these collections defines a list in Python?

    a. {"apple", "banana", "cherry"}  
    b. {"name": "apple", "type": "fruit"}  
    c. ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]  
    d. ("apple", "banana", "cherry")   
   

   Solution

   While all of the answers define a collection in Python, ["apple", "banana", "cherry"] defines a list and is the correct answer. {"apple", "banana", "cherry"} defines a set; {"name": "apple", "type": "fruit"} defines a dictionary (a hash map),("apple", "banana", "cherry") defines a tuple (an ordered and unchangeable collection).

2. What is the correct syntax for if statement in Python?

    a. if (x > 3):  
    b. if (x > 3) then:  
    c. if (x > 3)  
    d. if (x > 3);  
   

   Solution

   if (x > 3): is the correct answer.

3. Look at the following 3 assignment statements in Python.

    n = 300  
    m = n  
    n = -100   
   

   What is the result at the end of the above assignments?

    a. n = 300 and m = 300  
    b. n = -100 and m = 300   
    c. n = -100 and m = -100   
    d. n = 300 and m = -10   
   

   Solution

   n = -100 and m = 300 is the correct answer.