1D0-520 · Question #108
The best use of an XHTML table is to:
The correct answer is A. display tabular data. See the full explanation below for the reasoning.
Question
The best use of an XHTML table is to:
Options
- Adisplay tabular data.
- Bcreate complex layouts.
- Coccupy the entire space of a Web page.
- Dgenerate fluid design using percentages.
How the community answered
(48 responses)- A75% (36)
- B6% (3)
- C17% (8)
- D2% (1)
Community Discussion
6
Mateus R.May 2, 2026A is the one you want here. Think of an XHTML table like a spreadsheet printout you pin to a wall, it exists to show rows and columns of related data (schedules, prices, stats), not to act as the skeleton of your whole page layout, which is what CSS and divs are for.
Dervla O.May 3, 2026The distinction holds, but sharpen the test you give yourself before you click submit: ask whether the data would still make sense inside a spreadsheet program, because if yes, a table element is almost certainly correct, and if no, you are looking at a layout problem CSS should own.
Dervla O.Jun 2, 2026Tables are for data, full stop. CSS handles layout now.
Prof. SaraMay 25, 2026Tables were designed with one job in mind, and the semantic web crowd is very loud about keeping them in that lane, so think about what HTML tables actually describe structurally rather than what they can visually accomplish. Can you tell me why using a table for a full-page layout might confuse a screen reader or break your content's meaning even if it looks fine in a browser?
Brenda K.May 18, 2026Quick win, bank it and move on, do not spend more than 30 seconds here. A is the only defensible answer because XHTML tables inherit their purpose straight from HTML 4 semantics, which defined the table element explicitly for presenting data that has rows, columns, and a meaningful relationship between cells, like a schedule or a comparison chart. B trips up a lot of people who remember the old-school practice of using tables for layout, but every W3C spec from XHTML 1.0 onward treats that as an abuse of the element, and the exam absolutely reflects that position. C and D are just noise, neither one describes what a table element is for, they describe CSS or viewport behavior. The wording on A is a little plain but it is precisely correct, tabular data is the term the spec uses and that is what they want to see you recognize.
Dervla O.May 20, 2026The one thing worth adding is that recognizing "tabular data" as the trigger phrase is itself the elimination key, because any answer choice that substitutes "structured content" or "organized information" is broadening the definition past what the spec actually says, and that broadening is exactly how distractors are written.