No , split doesn't work with lists, it forces scalar context on EXPR, so qx returns a STRING, not a list

$ perl -wle " print for split //, @ARGV " asdf
1

$ perl -wle " print for split //, @ARGV " a s d f
4

$ perl -wle " print for split //, $ARGV[0] " asdf
a
s
d
f
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See Tutorials: Context in Perl: Context tutorial, "List" Is a Four-Letter Word, Easy Reference for Contexts