CSS Multi-Column Layout Practice Questions with Solutions

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Introduction

CSS Multi-Column Layout allows text content to flow naturally across multiple columns, similar to newspapers and magazines. Properties such as column-count, column-width, column-gap, and column-rule give you control over the number, size, spacing, and appearance of columns. This technique is especially useful for articles, blogs, documentation, and text-heavy layouts. In this chapter, you will practice these properties through simple CSS Multi-Column layout practice questions with solutions

Question 1: Create a Two-Column Layout

Problem Statement

Write CSS to divide content into two columns.

CSS Code

.article {
    column-count: 2;
}

Output

The content is automatically distributed across two columns.

Explanation

  • column-count specifies the number of columns.
  • 2 creates two equal columns.
  • The browser automatically flows the content from one column to the next.

Question 2: Create a Three-Column Layout

Problem Statement

Write CSS to divide an article into three columns.

CSS Code

.article {
    column-count: 3;
}

Output

The article content flows across three columns.

Explanation

  • column-count: 3 creates three columns.
  • The available width is divided among the columns.
  • This is useful for magazine-style layouts.

Question 3: Set the Preferred Column Width

Problem Statement

Write CSS to specify an approximate column width of 200px.

CSS Code

.article {
    column-width: 200px;
}

Output

The browser attempts to create columns with an approximate width of 200px based on the available space.

Explanation

  • column-width defines the preferred width of each column.
  • The browser determines how many columns can fit.
  • Unlike column-count, you specify the preferred column size rather than a fixed number.

Question 4: Add Space Between Columns

Problem Statement

Create a two-column layout with a 30px gap between the columns.

CSS Code

.article {
    column-count: 2;
    column-gap: 30px;
}

Output

Two columns appear with 30px of space between them.

Explanation

  • column-count: 2 creates two columns.
  • column-gap: 30px controls the space between them.
  • A suitable gap can make multi-column text easier to read.

Question 5: Add a Rule Between Columns

Problem Statement

Create a two-column layout with a 1px solid gray line between the columns.

CSS Code

.article {
    column-count: 2;
    column-gap: 30px;
    column-rule: 1px solid gray;
}

Output

A vertical gray line appears between the two columns.

Explanation

  • column-rule creates a visual divider between columns.
  • 1px sets the rule thickness.

Question 6: Control Column Rule Properties

Problem Statement

Create a three-column layout with a 2px dashed blue rule between the columns.

CSS Code

.article {
    column-count: 3;
    column-gap: 25px;
    column-rule-width: 2px;
    column-rule-style: dashed;
    column-rule-color: blue;
}

Output

The content is divided into three columns with a 2px dashed blue line between them.

Explanation

  • column-rule-width controls the thickness.
  • column-rule-style controls the line style.
  • column-rule-color controls the rule color.
  • column-gap controls the space between columns.

Question 7: Make Content Span Across All Columns

Problem Statement

Write CSS so that a heading spans across all columns instead of remaining inside a single column.

CSS Code

.article {
    column-count: 3;
}

.article-heading {
    column-span: all;
}

Output

The heading spans across the entire multi-column layout.

Explanation

  • column-span: all makes the element span across all columns.
  • This is useful for article headings and section titles.
  • The property affects the element within a multi-column container.

Question 8: Control How Columns Are Filled

Problem Statement

Write CSS to fill columns sequentially based on their available height.

CSS Code

.article {
    column-count: 3;
    height: 400px;
    column-fill: auto;
}

Output

The content fills the columns sequentially using the available 400px height.

Explanation

  • column-fill: auto controls how content is distributed when the container has a constrained height.
  • height: 400px gives the multi-column container a fixed height.
  • The content flows through the columns according to the available space.

Question 9: Create a Responsive Multi-Column Layout

Problem Statement

Create a multi-column layout that automatically determines the number of columns based on a preferred width of 220px.

CSS Code

.article {
    column-width: 220px;
    column-gap: 25px;
}

Output

The browser automatically adjusts the number of columns according to the available width while targeting approximately 220px per column.

Explanation

  • column-width provides the preferred width.
  • column-gap controls the spacing between columns.
  • As the available width changes, the browser can change the number of columns.

Question 10: Build a Complete Multi-Column Layout

Problem Statement

Create a professional article layout with three columns, a 25px gap, and a 1px solid light-gray rule between the columns.

CSS Code

.article {
    column-count: 3;
    column-gap: 25px;
    column-rule: 1px solid lightgray;
    line-height: 1.6;
}

Output

The article is displayed in three readable columns with spacing and visual dividers between them.

Explanation

  • column-count: 3 creates three columns.
  • column-gap: 25px adds spacing.
  • column-rule creates a divider.
  • line-height: 1.6 improves text readability.
  • This combination is useful for newspaper-style and magazine-style layouts.

Key Takeaways

  • column-count controls the number of columns.
  • column-width defines the preferred width of columns.
  • column-gap controls the space between columns.
  • column-rule creates a visual divider between columns.
  • column-rule-width controls rule thickness.
  • column-rule-style controls the rule style.
  • column-rule-color controls the rule color.
  • column-span: all allows an element to span across all columns.
  • column-fill controls how content is distributed when the container has a constrained height.
  • Multi-column layouts are useful for articles, magazines, newspapers, documentation, and blogs.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is CSS Multi-Column Layout?

CSS Multi-Column Layout allows content to flow across multiple columns within a single container.

Example:

.article {
    column-count: 2;
}

2. What does column-count do?

column-count specifies the desired number of columns.

.article {
    column-count: 3;
}

3. What does column-width do?

column-width specifies the preferred width of each column.

.article {
    column-width: 220px;
}

The browser determines how many columns can fit within the available width.

4. How do I add space between columns?

Use column-gap.

.article {
    column-gap: 30px;
}

5. How do I add a line between columns?

Use column-rule.

.article {
    column-rule: 1px solid gray;
}

6. How can an element span across all columns?

Use column-span: all.

.article-heading {
    column-span: all;
}

7. Where are multi-column layouts commonly used?

They are commonly used for articles, newspapers, magazines, documentation, blogs, and other text-heavy layouts.

Written by Shubhranshu Shekhar, who has trained 20000+ students in coding.

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