Questions: Clicking Links and Buttons on Web Pages

Question 1

You are reading a recipe online and click 'Print Recipe.' The page reformats into a printer-friendly view. Did you click a link or a button, and why?

• A. A link — because clicking navigated the page to a new view
• B. A link — because it was probably blue or underlined text
• C. A button — because it performed an action on the current page rather than taking you to a new website
• D. A button — because buttons are always found on recipe websites

Answer: (C)

Buttons perform actions on the current page — formatting for print, submitting a form, playing a video. Links navigate you to a new page or website. Even though the page changed visually, you stayed on the same recipe site; the action happened where you already were. The behavior, not the visual appearance, is what distinguishes a button from a link.

Question 2

Before clicking something that looks like it might be a link, which two signals tell you it is a real link and where it leads?

• A. The color of the text and whether it is larger than surrounding text
• B. Whether the cursor changes to a pointing hand AND whether a destination URL appears at the bottom-left of the browser window
• C. Whether the text is capitalized and whether it is inside a colored box
• D. The font style and whether other links appear nearby on the page

Answer: (B)

The most reliable signals are behavioral: the cursor changes from an arrow to a pointing hand when hovering over a link, and the destination URL appears in the browser's status bar (bottom-left corner) before you click. These signals work even when links are styled unconventionally — not blue, not underlined — which is common on modern websites. Color and font style alone are unreliable because they are purely design choices.

Question 3

When you hover your mouse over a link, the cursor changes from an arrow to a pointing hand.

• T. True
• F. False

Answer: True

Yes — this cursor change is the most reliable visual indicator that an element is a clickable link. It works across all major browsers and is a consistent web standard. The cursor behavior tells you an element is interactive even when it does not follow the classic blue-underlined-text convention.

Question 4

Clicking a button on a web page typically takes you to a new web page.

• T. True
• F. False

Answer: False

Buttons perform actions on the current page — they do not navigate you away. Examples: 'Submit' sends a form, 'Play' starts a video, 'Add to Cart' updates a shopping list, 'Download' begins a file download. The core distinction is: links navigate; buttons act. A link takes you somewhere new; a button does something where you already are.

Question 5

What is the key difference between a link and a button on a web page? Describe what each one does when clicked.

Model answer: A link navigates you to a new location — a different page, a different website, or a different section of the same page. A button performs an action on the current page — submitting a form, playing media, adding to a cart, or downloading a file. The key test: does clicking take you somewhere new (link) or does something happen right here (button)?

This distinction is the foundation of web interaction. Understanding it helps you predict what will happen when you click something and also helps with safe browsing: a link that unexpectedly takes you somewhere unrelated is a warning sign, while a button that unexpectedly downloads something is suspicious. Both elements have predictable, consistent behavior once you understand the underlying difference.