Unless a "goto" feature is implemented, you can't tell whether the command line options work by scoping or by mutation. Without evidence for mutation, you have to give it the benefit of the doubt and call it scoping, which isn't imperative.

So that is to say, each option which specifies some setting affecting files to the right of it on the command line is introducing a new version of the previous environment, in which that setting is altered, and the scope of that environment is the remainder of the command line.