Explain the useState hook with an example.

Short answer: useState lets you add state to functional components. ✅ Syntax: const [state, setState] = useState(initialValue); ✅ Example: import { useState } from 'react'; function Counter() { const [count, setCount] = useState(0);

Example code

return ( <button onClick={() => setCount(count + 1)}> Count: {count} </button> ); }

Real-world example (ShopNest)

ShopNest’s cart icon uses useState for count and useEffect to load the cart once on mount.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.