diff --git a/pkgs/test/stdenv/default.nix b/pkgs/test/stdenv/default.nix
index 2af4bcdfb73..c5af468655f 100644
--- a/pkgs/test/stdenv/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/test/stdenv/default.nix
@@ -22,10 +22,10 @@ let
       postFixup = previousAttrs.postFixup + ''
         declare -p wrapperName
         echo "env.wrapperName = $wrapperName"
-        [[ $wrapperName == "CC_WRAPPER" ]] || (echo "wrapperName was not CC_WRAPPER" && false)
+        [[ $wrapperName == "CC_WRAPPER" ]] || (echo "'\$wrapperName' was not 'CC_WRAPPER'" && false)
         declare -p suffixSalt
         echo "env.suffixSalt = $suffixSalt"
-        [[ $suffixSalt == "${stdenv'.cc.suffixSalt}" ]] || (echo "wrapperName was not ${stdenv'.cc.suffixSalt}" && false)
+        [[ $suffixSalt == "${stdenv'.cc.suffixSalt}" ]] || (echo "'\$suffxSalt' was not '${stdenv'.cc.suffixSalt}'" && false)
 
         grep -q "@out@" $out/bin/cc || echo "@out@ in $out/bin/cc was substituted"
         grep -q "@suffixSalt@" $out/bin/cc && (echo "$out/bin/cc contains unsubstituted variables" && false)
@@ -46,7 +46,35 @@ let
         buildCommand = ''
           declare -p string
           echo "env.string = $string"
-          [[ $string == "testing-string" ]] || (echo "string was not testing-string" && false)
+          [[ $string == "testing-string" ]] || (echo "'\$string' was not 'testing-string'" && false)
+          touch $out
+        '';
+      } // extraAttrs);
+
+  testPrependAndAppendToVar = { name, stdenv', extraAttrs ? { } }:
+    stdenv'.mkDerivation
+      ({
+        inherit name;
+        env = {
+          string = "testing-string";
+        };
+
+        passAsFile = [ "buildCommand" ] ++ lib.optionals (extraAttrs ? extraTest) [ "extraTest" ];
+        # FIXME: with structuredAttrs string is converted to a indexed array
+        # should a/pToVar check if the passed variable is a array or a string?
+        # declare -x string="testing-string"
+        # declare -ax string=([0]="world" [1]="testing-string" [2]="hello")
+        buildCommand = ''
+          declare -p string
+          appendToVar string hello
+          # test that quoted strings work
+          prependToVar string "world"
+          declare -p string
+
+          [[ $string == "world testing-string hello" ]] || (echo "'\$string' was not 'world testing-string hello'" && false)
+
+          eval "$extraTest"
+
           touch $out
         '';
       } // extraAttrs);
@@ -56,13 +84,65 @@ in
 {
   test-env-attrset = testEnvAttrset { name = "test-env-attrset"; stdenv' = bootStdenv; };
 
-  test-structured-env-attrset = testEnvAttrset { name = "test-structured-env-attrset"; stdenv' = bootStdenv; extraAttrs = { __structuredAttrs = true; }; };
+  test-prepend-append-to-var = testPrependAndAppendToVar {
+    name = "test-prepend-append-to-var";
+    stdenv' = bootStdenv;
+  };
 
-  test-cc-wrapper-substitutions = ccWrapperSubstitutionsTest { name = "test-cc-wrapper-substitutions"; stdenv' = bootStdenv; };
+  test-structured-env-attrset = testEnvAttrset {
+    name = "test-structured-env-attrset";
+    stdenv' = bootStdenv;
+    extraAttrs = { __structuredAttrs = true; };
+  };
+
+  test-cc-wrapper-substitutions = ccWrapperSubstitutionsTest {
+    name = "test-cc-wrapper-substitutions";
+    stdenv' = bootStdenv;
+  };
 
   structuredAttrsByDefault = lib.recurseIntoAttrs {
-    test-cc-wrapper-substitutions = ccWrapperSubstitutionsTest { name = "test-cc-wrapper-substitutions-structuredAttrsByDefault"; stdenv' = bootStdenvStructuredAttrsByDefault; };
+    test-cc-wrapper-substitutions = ccWrapperSubstitutionsTest {
+      name = "test-cc-wrapper-substitutions-structuredAttrsByDefault";
+      stdenv' = bootStdenvStructuredAttrsByDefault;
+    };
 
-    test-structured-env-attrset = testEnvAttrset { name = "test-structured-env-attrset-structuredAttrsByDefault"; stdenv' = bootStdenvStructuredAttrsByDefault; };
+    test-structured-env-attrset = testEnvAttrset {
+      name = "test-structured-env-attrset-structuredAttrsByDefault";
+      stdenv' = bootStdenvStructuredAttrsByDefault;
+    };
+
+    test-prepend-append-to-var = testPrependAndAppendToVar {
+      name = "test-prepend-append-to-var-structuredAttrsByDefault";
+      stdenv' = bootStdenvStructuredAttrsByDefault;
+      extraAttrs = {
+        # will be a bash indexed array in attrs.sh
+        # declare -a list=('a' 'b' )
+        # and a json array in attrs.json
+        # "list":["a","b"]
+        list = [ "a" "b" ];
+        # will be a bash associative array(dictionary) in attrs.sh
+        # declare -A array=(['a']='1' ['b']='2' )
+        # and a json object in attrs.json
+        # {"array":{"a":"1","b":"2"}
+        array = { a = "1"; b = "2"; };
+        extraTest = ''
+          declare -p array
+          array+=(["c"]="3")
+          declare -p array
+
+          [[ "''${array[c]}" == "3" ]] || (echo "c element of '\$array' was not '3'" && false)
+
+          declare -p list
+          prependToVar list hello
+          # test that quoted strings work
+          appendToVar list "world"
+          declare -p list
+
+          [[ "''${list[0]}" == "hello" ]] || (echo "first element of '\$list' was not 'hello'" && false)
+          [[ "''${list[1]}" == "a" ]] || (echo "first element of '\$list' was not 'a'" && false)
+          [[ "''${list[-1]}" == "world" ]] || (echo "last element of '\$list' was not 'world'" && false)
+        '';
+      };
+    };
   };
 }