--- # Tests from the (Poignant Guide) in: > h3. False ! if plastic_cup print "Plastic cup is on the up 'n' up!" end If @plastic_cup@ contains either @nil@ or @false@, you won't see anything print to the screen. They're not on the @if@ guest list. So @if@ isn't going to run any of the code it's protecting. But @nil@ and @false@ need not walk away in shame. They may be of questionable character, but @unless@ runs a smaller establishment that caters to the bedraggled. The @unless@ keyword has a policy of only allowing those with a negative charge in. Who are: @nil@ and @false@.
    unless plastic_cup
      print "Plastic cup is on the down low."
    end
  
You can also use @if@ and @unless@ at the end of a single line of code, if that's all that is being protected.
    print "Yeah, plastic cup is up again!" if plastic_cup
    print "Hardly. It's down." unless plastic_cup
  
Now that you've met @false@, I'm sure you can see what's on next. html: |-

False

Shape of a cat.

The cat Trady Blix. Frozen in emptiness. Immaculate whiskers rigid. Placid eyes of lake. Tail of warm icicle. Sponsored by a Very Powerful Pause Button.

The darkness surrounding Blix can be called negative space. Hang on to that phrase. Let it suggest that the emptiness has a negative connotation. In a similar way, nil has a slightly sour note that it whistles.

Generally speaking, everything in Ruby has a positive charge to it. This spark flows through strings, numbers, regexps, all of it. Only two keywords wear a shady cloak: nil and false draggin us down.

You can test that charge with an if keyword. It looks very much like the do blocks we saw in the last chapter, in that both end with an end.

    if plastic_cup
      print "Plastic cup is on the up 'n' up!"
    end
  

If plastic_cup contains either nil or false, you won’t see anything print to the screen. They’re not on the if guest list. So if isn’t going to run any of the code it’s protecting.

But nil and false need not walk away in shame. They may be of questionable character, but unless runs a smaller establishment that caters to the bedraggled. The unless keyword has a policy of only allowing those with a negative charge in. Who are: nil and false.

    unless plastic_cup
      print "Plastic cup is on the down low."
    end
  

You can also use if and unless at the end of a single line of code, if that’s all that is being protected.

    print "Yeah, plastic cup is up again!" if plastic_cup
    print "Hardly. It's down." unless plastic_cup
  

Now that you’ve met false, I’m sure you can see what’s on next.