Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: How to display the file or page content
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) and similar markup languages use tags enclosed in angle brackets to describe the structure and presentation of web pages. Web browsers read these tags and use them to decide how text, images, links, and other elements should appear on the screen. Understanding the role of markup tags is a foundational concept in web technology and is frequently tested in computer awareness exams. This question asks what markup tags tell the browser to do.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
Markup tags do not contain the actual content alone; instead, they mark up the content with structural and presentational information. For example, <h1> indicates a main heading, <p> marks a paragraph, and <strong> suggests emphasis. The browser interprets these tags to format and display the page appropriately. They do not instruct the browser how the file is stored on the server's hard disk, which is managed by the file system and web server. Although some tags and scripts can create message boxes, the primary purpose of markup tags as a group is to describe how content should be displayed. Therefore, the correct answer is that markup tags tell the browser how to display the file or page content.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Think about what happens when a browser loads an HTML file.
The browser reads tags and text, builds a document structure, and then draws the page on the screen.
Step 2: Examine what a tag like <p> or <h1> does.
These tags tell the browser that some text is a paragraph or a heading, affecting how it is displayed.
Step 3: Evaluate option A.
Option A states that tags tell the browser how to display the file or page content, which matches this behaviour.
Step 4: Evaluate option B.
Organising files on the disk is done by the operating system and web server, not by HTML tags.
Step 5: Evaluate option C.
Message boxes are usually created by scripts such as JavaScript, not by markup tags alone.
Step 6: Conclude that option A is correct.
Verification / Alternative check:
Web development documentation describes HTML as a markup language that uses tags to define elements such as headings, paragraphs, lists, and links. Browsers have rendering engines that interpret these tags and apply default styles, while CSS can further refine the appearance. The specification emphasises that tags structure and describe the content of the page, and the browser uses this information to decide how to display everything. There is no reference to HTML tags controlling file system layout on the server. This confirms that the purpose of markup tags is to tell the browser how to display and structure the content.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B (How to organise the page on the server hard disk): File organisation is not part of the browser's responsibility and is not dictated by markup tags.
Option C (How to display message box on page): Message boxes are produced by client side scripts like JavaScript alert functions, not by basic markup tags.
Option D (None of the above): Incorrect because option A accurately describes the primary role of markup tags.
Common Pitfalls:
Some learners confuse HTML tags with scripting code, thinking that tags alone can create interactive elements like message boxes. While HTML can define buttons or dialog containers, the behaviour is usually controlled by CSS and JavaScript. Another misunderstanding is to think that markup defines how files are stored on the server, but server side file management is unrelated to how content is marked up in HTML. To answer correctly, focus on the client side function of markup: it tells the browser how to interpret and display the page content.
Final Answer:
Markup tags tell the web browser how to display the file or page content by describing the structure and type of each element.
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