To display content on web browsers, you’ll need to structure the content using a hypertext markup language (HTML). Interviewers will typically ask you specific HTML questions for a position in web development. Knowing how to answer interview questions related to HTML5 (the fifth version of HTML) could give you a solid advantage during your job hunt.
In this article, we’ll identify some HTML interview questions you should be aware of, plus provide sample answers to help you form your own.
PAGE CONTENTS
HTML interview questions
There are several interview questions on HTML, specifically HTML5, that interviewers frequently ask today, including:
1. What are the most important differences in the new HTML version from those prior?
This question tests your knowledge of HTML architecture. The appropriate action is to outline HTML5’s new features by offering a comparison with the previously replaced HTML4 features. In your answer, it is best to include the new features that extend JavaScript functionality.
Example answer: “There are a few important differences in the new version, HTML5. The simple DOCTYPE declaration in one line is a major change from the long declaration with its external source reference that was offered in HTML4.
There are dedicated tags that provide multimedia support, such as the tags for audio, video and canvas, so I do not have to use third-party plugins, which was the case in HTML4. The new object tag for applet types is another change in the new version. HTML4 had removed the tag that displayed applets.
Unlike HTML4, HTML5 supports a surface for drawing in 2D that developers can program using JavaScript. JavaScript functionality was also improved in HTML5 by the extensions, drag-and-drop and geolocation, as well as the extensions for caching and storage. The web worker scripts are another change in HTML5. Through web workers, JavaScript is improved with the functionality for multi-threading.
HTML5 introduces new form controls, such as the tags for calendar, URL, date, time and email.
Additionally, more tags complement the structure of web products, such as the tags for aside, nav, header, footer, section, article and main. These changes make HTML5 easier to use. When using the new version, a major negative difference that I have noticed is the lack of browser compatibility. HTML4 worked with most browsers.”
2. What is the purpose of JavaScript in HTML5?
This question is an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of HTML5 architecture and concepts. You should identify the main reason that developers created JavaScript to work with HTML versions by highlighting the relevant JavaScript features.
Example answer: “Web pages that are made with HTML alone are relatively static, so Brendan Eich developed JavaScript in 1995 to make them more interactive. JavaScript is an object-oriented programming (OOP) language that is interpreted and lightweight.
Browsers, such as Internet Explorer, have JavaScript embedded within them. It is integrated with Java and can complement applications developed with Java.
The purpose of JavaScript in HTML5 has not changed from its purpose in the earlier versions of HTML, which is to enable developers to build complex, interactive web applications.”
3. What leads to differences between an HTML5 specification and the browser’s interpretation?
This question examines your understanding of HTML5 architecture. Your answer should define a specification and then briefly discuss the possible differences between the specification and the implementation.
Example answer: “An HTML5 specification is a collection of rules for a web document. To be valid, you must structure the document according to these rules. Additionally, the specification gives a web browser instructions on the interpretation and rendering of a document.
Possible differences between the specification and the implementation of that specification by the browser could arise due to the specification failing to cover the errors of the document.
As there are so many errors that can lead to flawed documents, an HTML5 specification can’t identify all possible errors. So if the document is flawed, there are many decisions left to a browser due to a lack of instructions in the specification.
Another reason for differences between the specification and the interpretation is the lack of cross-browser support for HTML5. To support a specification, the browser must handle the document that the specification covers according to its rules.
Yet while all the key browsers support most of the areas of an HTML specification, there are no browsers that support an entire HTML5 specification.”
4. What do you use the new header and footer elements for in HTML5?
This question tests you on HTML5 architecture and usage. Your answer should demonstrate your grasp of architecture and usage by defining the two elements and describing how you use them.
Example answer: “The header tag provides information that introduces a part of a web page and provides navigational information. The typical contents that I would include in this element are the title, name, table of contents and the publication time and date.
The footer element is used to provide the conclusion of a part of a web page and other relevant information. I would usually include the copyright information and links in this section.”
5. Define the div tag, meta tag, span tag, list tag, and cite tag in HTML5.
This question tests your knowledge of components of HTML5 architecture. You can define each architectural element by describing the role that it plays in the HTML5 framework.
Example answer: “The div tag is very useful as it creates a section in an HTML web page, which can hold other sections or elements within it. A span tag divides the screen into sections that are smaller than the blocks created by the div tag, and a span tag displays elements in an in-line sequence.
A meta tag provides web page data. There are several types of meta tags such as a style tag, which includes details of the styles used in the page, a title tag, which includes details of the page title and a link tag, which includes details of the connection between the web page and an external page.
The cite tag is used to indicate the title of a resource such as an article or a poem.
6. How do you apply color to an element in HTML5?
This question examines your practical skills in using HTML5. The best way to answer this question is to name the three ways an element can be colored.
Example answer: “I can give an element a hexadecimal or hex value that will be supported across browsers. Alternatively, I can give it a color name, such as blue. I can also color with an RGB value, which represents a specific mixture of red, green and blue.”
7. Does a doctype need to be specified, and are there different doctype types?
This question tests your knowledge of HTML5 architecture. Your answer should state what happens if the doctype is not specified and include the names of the three doctype types.
Example answer: “Yes, a doctype must be specified for the HTML page to be properly displayed. If I fail to specify the doctype of an HTML page, the new HTML5 tags will not be interpreted by the browser. There are three doctypes, which are transitional doctype, strict doctype and frameset doctype.”
8. What is the web storage feature in HTML5?
This question examines your architectural knowledge of HTML5. Your answer should include a general description of web storage in HTML5 and a description of the two types of storage.
Example answer: “The web storage feature in HTML5 relates to the web page’s stored data within the user’s computer. This function was previously performed by cookies, but the web storage feature is more efficient in terms of speed and the quantity of stored data.
There are two types of web storage provided by HTML5—local storage and session storage. In local storage, the data is stored by the web page, which uses the localStorage object, in the user’s computer. This data is stored permanently unless it is deleted.
Unlike in local storage, session storage data lasts only for a session. Session storage data is stored using the sessionStorage object. When a user closes their browser’s window, which ends a session, the session storage data is automatically removed.”
I hope you find this article helpful.
Leave a Reply