HTML and CSS Certification Practice Test 2025 – The All-in-One Guide to Master Your Certification!

The correct approach to removing the default margin and padding of an HTML element is to utilize the syntax that specifically sets both properties to zero. By using "margin: 0; padding: 0;", you effectively overwrite any default styles that the browser applies to that element, ensuring that it starts with no extra space surrounding it (margin) or within it (padding).

Setting both margin and padding to zero is a common practice in CSS known as "CSS reset," which aims to create a consistent baseline across different browsers. This way, developers can more accurately control the layout and spacing of elements without unexpected gaps or whitespace caused by browser defaults.

The other options do not correctly achieve this goal. For example, using "margin: auto; padding: auto;" does not remove margins or padding; it sets the margin to automatically adjust, which often centers block elements but does not eliminate space. Meanwhile, "clear: both;" is a property related to the clearing of floated elements, and "remove-margin: true; remove-padding: true;" is not valid CSS syntax, as there are no such properties for removing margins or padding.