MCQs on Basic Syntax and Data Types | Perl

Boost your Perl knowledge with these 30 MCQs covering scalars, arrays, hashes, comments, code structure, and string manipulation. Perfect for learners aiming to master basic syntax and data types.

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MCQs: Chapter 2 – Basic Syntax and Data Types

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Scalars, Arrays, and Hashes

1. In Perl, scalar variables are prefixed with which symbol?
   a) $
   b) @
   c) %
   d) #
2. What is the correct syntax for declaring an array in Perl?
   a) $array = (1, 2, 3);
   b) @array = (1, 2, 3);
   c) %array = (1, 2, 3);
   d) array[ ] = (1, 2, 3);
3. A hash in Perl is represented using:
   a) $
   b) @
   c) %
   d) *
4. Which function retrieves all keys from a hash?
   a) values()
   b) keys()
   c) hash_keys()
   d) get_keys()
5. How do you access the first element of an array named @colors?
   a) @colors[1]
   b) $colors[1]
   c) $colors[0]
   d) @colors[0]
6. What is the correct way to assign a scalar variable in Perl?
   a) $name == "John";
   b) $name = "John";
   c) $name <- "John";
   d) $name := "John";
7. Which of these creates an empty hash?
   a) %hash = ();
   b) %hash = {};
   c) @hash = ();
   d) $hash = {};

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Comments and Code Structure

8. What character is used to write single-line comments in Perl?
   a) //
   b) #
   c) /* */
   d) --
9. Which pragma enforces variable declaration in Perl?
   a) use warnings;
   b) use strict;
   c) use vars;
   d) use debug;
10. How do you write a multi-line comment in Perl?
    a) /* comment */
    b) """ comment """
    c) # comment line 1\n# comment line 2
    d) // comment
11. What is the default scope of a variable in Perl?
    a) Global
    b) Local
    c) Static
    d) Dynamic
12. Indentation in Perl code is:
    a) Mandatory
    b) Optional but recommended
    c) Enforced for loops only
    d) Not allowed
13. What does the __END__ token do in Perl scripts?
    a) Ends the script execution immediately
    b) Terminates the file input reading
    c) Marks the end of the program
    d) Ends the data input section
14. Which of the following makes code reusable in Perl?
    a) Loops
    b) Subroutines
    c) Inline comments
    d) Block scope
15. What is the significance of semicolons in Perl?
    a) They are optional at the end of statements
    b) They separate program lines
    c) They denote a block
    d) They mark comments

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Interpolation and String Manipulation

16. What is interpolation in Perl?
    a) Replacing variables with their values in a string
    b) Merging two strings
    c) Searching for a pattern in a string
    d) Encoding a string
17. Which quotes allow variable interpolation in Perl?
    a) Single quotes
    b) Double quotes
    c) Backticks
    d) Both b and c
18. What will the following code print?
    $name = “John”; print “Hello, $name!”;
    a) Hello, John!
    b) Hello, $name!
    c) Hello, name!
    d) Error: Undefined variable
19. How do you escape special characters in a string?
    a) Using \
    b) Using #
    c) Using $
    d) Using !
20. What does the length() function do?
    a) Calculates the size of an array
    b) Counts the number of elements in a hash
    c) Returns the length of a string
    d) Appends a string
21. Which operator is used for string concatenation in Perl?
    a) +
    b) .
    c) &
    d) ||
22. What will the following code output?
    print “Line 1\nLine 2”;
    a) Line 1 Line 2
    b) Line 1\nLine 2
    c) Line 1
    Line 2
    d) Line 1\nLine 2
23. To compare two strings in Perl, you use:
    a) ==
    b) =
    c) eq
    d) cmp
24. What does the chop() function do?
    a) Removes the last character of a string
    b) Removes the first character of a string
    c) Removes whitespace from a string
    d) Reverses a string
25. How do you convert a string to uppercase in Perl?
    a) touppercase($string)
    b) uc($string)
    c) upper($string)
    d) to_upper($string)
26. Which special variable is used for the last matched string?
    a) $1
    b) $_
    c) $&
    d) $*
27. How do you replace a substring in a string?
    a) str_replace
    b) s/search/replace/
    c) replace(search, replace)
    d) update_str(search, replace)
28. What is the output of the following code?
    $string = “hello”; print uc($string);
    a) Hello
    b) HELLO
    c) hello
    d) hELLO
29. The substr() function in Perl is used to:
    a) Extract a part of a string
    b) Convert a string to uppercase
    c) Reverse a string
    d) Find the length of a string
30. What is the output of this code?
    $str = “Perl”;
    $str .= ” Programming”;
    print $str;
    a) PerlProgramming
    b) Perl Programming
    c) Perl
    d) Perl-Programming

Answer Key

Qno	Answer
1	a) $
2	b) @array = (1, 2, 3);
3	c) %
4	b) keys()
5	c) $colors[0]
6	b) $name = "John";
7	a) %hash = ();
8	b) #
9	b) use strict;
10	c) # comment line 1\n# comment line 2
11	a) Global
12	b) Optional but recommended
13	d) Ends the data input section
14	b) Subroutines
15	b) They separate program lines
16	a) Replacing variables with their values in a string
17	d) Both b and c
18	a) Hello, John!
19	a) Using \
20	c) Returns the length of a string
21	b) .
22	c) Line 1 Line 2
23	c) eq
24	a) Removes the last character of a string
25	b) uc($string)
26	c) $&
27	b) s/search/replace/
28	b) HELLO
29	a) Extract a part of a string
30	b) Perl Programming