Show both approaches: "In a classic theme, I create a PHP file with the Template Name header — it appears in the Page Attributes dropdown. In a block theme, I add an HTML template file to the templates/ directory and it shows up in the Site Editor."
Page templates are PHP files that provide alternative layouts for individual pages. Create one by adding a Template Name comment header at the top of a PHP file in the theme directory: /* Template Name: Full Width */. The template then appears as a dropdown option in the page editor. Use cases: landing pages without sidebars, contact pages with special layouts, portfolio grids, or any page that needs a different structure from the default. In block themes, templates are HTML files in the templates/ directory. Strong candidates explain: that page templates only apply to the Page post type by default (Template Post Type header extends this), the naming convention page-{slug}.php for automatic template assignment, and that block themes define templates differently using HTML with block markup.
Entry-level theme development question. Candidates who do not know how to create page templates will produce inflexible themes. Those who understand both classic and block theme template approaches demonstrate versatility.