XML Quiz - MCQ - Multiple Choice Questions

XML stands for Extensible Markup Language that defines a set of rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable. Whether you are a web developer, data analyst, or someone simply looking to grasp the fundamentals of XML, this quiz will test your beginner-level knowledge. Each question will have an answer provided, along with a brief explanation to clarify the concept. Good luck!

1. What does XML stand for?

A. Xtreme Markup Language

B. Extended Markup Language

C. Exquisite Markup Language

D. Extensible Markup Language

Answer:

D. Extensible Markup Language

Explanation:

XML stands for Extensible Markup Language, a markup language that is used to define rules for encoding documents.

2. Which of the following symbols marks the start of an XML tag?

A. {}

B. ()

C. <>

D. []

Answer:

C. <>

Explanation:

XML tags are marked by angle brackets <>.

3. Which of the following is the correct way to declare an XML version and encoding?

A. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

B. <xml version=1.0 encoding=UTF-8>

C. {xml version:"1.0", encoding:"UTF-8"}

D. xml(version=1.0, encoding=UTF-8)

Answer:

A. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

Explanation:

XML declarations are made using <?xml ... ?> and the version and encoding attributes should be enclosed in double-quotes.

4. Which of the following is a self-closing XML tag?

A. <tag></tag>

B. <tag>

C. <tag/>

D. </tag>

Answer:

C. <tag/>

Explanation:

A self-closing XML tag is closed within the same tag by using a slash before the closing bracket.

5. How do you add a comment in XML?

A. <!--This is a comment-->

B. //This is a comment

C. # This is a comment

D. * This is a comment

Answer:

A. <!--This is a comment-->

Explanation:

Comments in XML are added using <!-- ... -->.

6. Which of the following XML elements is correctly nested?

A. <outer><inner></inner></outer>

B. <outer><inner></outer></inner>

C. <outer></inner><inner></outer>

D. <outer><inner>

Answer:

A. <outer><inner></inner></outer>

Explanation:

XML elements must be properly nested and closed in the order they were opened.

7. Can XML tags contain spaces?

A. Yes

B. No

C.

D.

Answer:

B. No

Explanation:

XML tags cannot contain spaces. They should be a continuous string of characters.

8. Which of the following is not a purpose of XML?

A. Styling web pages

B. Storing data

C. Transporting data

D. Describing data

Answer:

A. Styling web pages

Explanation:

XML is used for storing, transporting, and describing data. Styling web pages is typically done using CSS.

9. What do XML attributes provide?

A. Additional information about an element

B. Structure to the XML document

C. A way to create comments

D. A method to close an element

Answer:

A. Additional information about an element

Explanation:

XML attributes provide additional information about XML elements.

10. Which of the following is a correct XML attribute?

A. <tag attribute="value">

B. <tag attribute=value>

C. <tag "attribute"="value">

D. <tag attribute: value>

Answer:

A. <tag attribute="value">

Explanation:

XML attributes should have their values enclosed in double quotes.

11. How can you specify an XML namespace?

A. xmlns:prefix="namespace-URL"

B. namespace:prefix="namespace-URL"

C. ns:prefix="namespace-URL"

D. xml-namespace:prefix="namespace-URL"

Answer:

A. xmlns:prefix="namespace-URL"

Explanation:

Namespaces in XML are defined with the xmlns attribute.

12. If an XML element is defined as empty, what does it mean?

A. It has a closing tag but no opening tag

B. It has neither child elements nor text

C. It contains only attributes

D. It contains only comments

Answer:

B. It has neither child elements nor text

Explanation:

An empty XML element does not contain any child elements or text. It can, however, still have attributes.

13. Which of the following tools can be used to transform XML documents into other formats?

A. XPath

B. XSLT

C. XQuery

D. XML Schema

Answer:

B. XSLT

Explanation:

XSLT (Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations) is used for transforming XML documents into other XML documents or other formats like HTML.

14. What does XPath primarily do in XML?

A. Transform XML data

B. Validate XML structure

C. Navigate and extract parts of an XML document

D. Declare XML namespaces

Answer:

C. Navigate and extract parts of an XML document

Explanation:

XPath (XML Path Language) is a query language that allows navigation and extraction of specific parts of an XML document.

15. Which of the following characters is a reserved character in XML?

A. $

B. #

C. &

D. @

Answer:

C. &

Explanation:

The & character is reserved in XML to start an entity reference (like &lt; for the < character).

16. How do you reference an external DTD in an XML document?

A. <!DOCTYPE root-element SYSTEM "file.dtd">

B. <!DTD root-element SYSTEM "file.dtd">

C. <!XML root-element DTD "file.dtd">

D. <!DEFINE root-element FROM "file.dtd">

Answer:

A. <!DOCTYPE root-element SYSTEM "file.dtd">

Explanation:

The correct syntax for referencing an external DTD is using the <!DOCTYPE ... SYSTEM ...> declaration.

17. Which of the following elements describes metadata inside the XML document and is placed at the top?

A. <header>

B. <meta>

C. <info>

D. <prolog>

Answer:

D. <prolog>

Explanation:

The prolog of an XML document is used to specify XML declarations, processing instructions, and doctype declarations. It generally describes the metadata of the document.

18. Why would you use XQuery with XML?

A. To define the structure of XML documents

B. To transform XML data into other formats

C. To query and manipulate XML data

D. To navigate through an XML document hierarchically

Answer:

C. To query and manipulate XML data

Explanation:

XQuery is a language that allows querying and manipulating XML data. It lets users extract data from XML documents and databases.

19. How can you include special characters in an XML document without them being interpreted as markup?

A. Using backslashes

B. Using Unicode escapes

C. Using CDATA sections

D. Using hexadecimal notation

Answer:

C. Using CDATA sections

Explanation:

CDATA sections allow you to include special characters without them being interpreted as XML markup.

20. Which of the following is the root element in the XML document?

A. The first element in the document

B. The last element in the document

C. The element that has no parent

D. The element that has no children

Answer:

C. The element that has no parent

Explanation:

The root element is the topmost element in the XML hierarchy and does not have a parent.

21. What purpose does the XML namespace serve?

A. It provides a unique identity for elements and attributes

B. It defines the structure of an XML document

C. It specifies the default values for attributes

D. It declares the version of XML used in the document

Answer:

A. It provides a unique identity for elements and attributes

Explanation:

XML namespaces prevent naming conflicts and provide a unique identity for elements and attributes in XML documents.

22. What is the key difference between XML and HTML?

A. XML is a markup language, while HTML is a programming language

B. XML is used for data representation, while HTML is used for data presentation

C. XML is case-sensitive, while HTML is not

D. XML has predefined tags, while HTML allows custom tags

Answer:

B. XML is used for data representation, while HTML is used for data presentation

Explanation:

XML is designed to store and transport data, while HTML is designed to display data.

23. Which of the following tools is NOT directly associated with XML processing?

A. XSLT

B. XPath

C. JDBC

D. XQuery

Answer:

C. JDBC

Explanation:

JDBC (Java Database Connectivity) is related to database operations in Java and is not directly associated with XML processing.

24. Which statement about XML attributes is true?

A. Attributes can contain multiple values

B. Attributes can have child elements

C. Each attribute must have a unique name within its element

D. Attributes are mandatory for every element

Answer:

C. Each attribute must have a unique name within its element

Explanation:

Within a single XML element, each attribute must have a unique name.

25. Which XML parser provides a tree structure of an XML document and allows the developer to navigate the tree?

A. SAX (Simple API for XML)

B. DOM (Document Object Model)

C. XSLT

D. XPath

Answer:

B. DOM (Document Object Model)

Explanation:

The DOM parser provides a tree structure of an XML document and allows for navigation and manipulation of this tree.