FC0-U71 Applications and Software Practice Question
A programmer declares a variable 'price' and assigns it the value 19.99. In most programming languages, what is the data type of this variable?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is confusing float with double or assuming that a decimal literal might be an integer if it ends in .0; the exam tests recognition that any number with a decimal point is a floating-point type by default.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Float
The value 19.99 contains a decimal point, which indicates a floating-point number. In most programming languages, such as Python, Java, C, and JavaScript, a numeric literal with a decimal point is treated as a float (or double) by default. Therefore, the data type of the variable 'price' is float.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Boolean
Why it's wrong here
Boolean holds only true or false, so it cannot store 19.99. It is tempting because flags and conditions use Booleans, and a price could theoretically be represented as a validity flag, but the literal 19.99 is a fractional numeric value, which most languages type as a floating-point number.
- ✓
Float
Why this is correct
19.99 contains a fractional part, so most languages infer a floating-point type rather than an integer. Float stores real numbers with decimal precision, satisfying the stem's assignment of a decimal literal to the variable price.
- ✗
String
Why it's wrong here
A string stores text characters, so 19.99 would be typed as a floating-point number, not a string, unless explicitly quoted. It is tempting because input from users often arrives as text, but the stem assigns a numeric literal directly, which most languages infer as a floating-point type.
- ✗
Integer
Why it's wrong here
Integer types hold whole numbers only, so 19.99's fractional part cannot be represented without truncation or rounding. It is tempting because prices are numeric, but the decimal point makes this a floating-point literal in most languages, and integer assignment would lose precision.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
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