010-160 Finding Your Way ON A Linux System — 20 Questions

Question 1

You want to delete a directory named 'temp_backup' that contains several files. Which command will successfully remove it and its contents?

Accepted Answer

rm -r temp_backup. The -r (recursive) flag is required for rm to delete directories and their contents.

Answer

rm temp_backup

Answer

rmdir temp_backup

Answer

rm -f temp_backup

Question 2

To navigate from your current directory to your home directory regardless of your current location, which command is most efficient?

Accepted Answer

cd ~. The cd command without arguments or with the tilde character defaults to the user's home directory.

Answer

cd ..

Answer

cd /

Answer

cd /home

Question 3

Which of the following commands is used to create an empty file or update the timestamp of an existing file?

Accepted Answer

touch. The touch command creates an empty file if it does not exist or updates access/modification times if it does.

Answer

cp

Answer

mkdir

Answer

mv

Question 4

You are copying a directory named 'source' to 'destination' and want to ensure all subdirectories and file attributes are preserved. Which flag is essential?

Accepted Answer

cp -a. The -a (archive) flag is the most efficient way to preserve attributes, permissions, and handle recursive copies.

Answer

cp -p

Answer

cp -v

Answer

cp -r

Question 5

You are using the 'less' command to view a large log file. Which key do you press to search forward for a specific string?

Accepted Answer

/. The forward slash (/) character is the standard key to initiate a forward search in less.

Answer

?

Answer

q

Answer

n

Question 6

You need to search for a specific command description within the manual pages using a keyword. Which command should you use?

Accepted Answer

man -k. The man -k command (or apropos) searches the manual page descriptions for keywords.

Answer

man -s

Answer

man -f

Answer

help

Question 7

You are browsing a directory and need to see hidden files alongside regular files. Which command achieves this?

Accepted Answer

ls -a. The -a (all) flag is required for ls to display hidden files starting with a dot.

Answer

ls -R

Answer

ls -h

Answer

ls -l

Question 8

You are logged into a terminal and want to identify your current working directory. Which command should you execute?

Accepted Answer

pwd. The pwd command displays the absolute path of the directory you are currently in.

Answer

whoami

Answer

ls

Answer

cd

Question 9

What is the purpose of the '..' notation in a file path?

Accepted Answer

Parent directory. .. refers to the parent directory of the current directory.

Answer

Current directory

Answer

Root directory

Answer

Home directory

Question 10

Which command provides a brief summary of what a specific command does without opening the entire man page?

Accepted Answer

whatis. The whatis command provides a one-line description for a command name.

Answer

info

Answer

man -d

Answer

apropos

Question 11

How do you rename a file named 'oldname' to 'newname' using the command line?

Accepted Answer

mv oldname newname. The mv (move) command is used for both moving and renaming files.

Answer

rn oldname newname

Answer

ren oldname newname

Answer

cp oldname newname

Question 12

You are currently in '/home/user/docs' and need to move to '/etc'. Which command is correct?

Accepted Answer

cd /etc. cd /etc uses an absolute path to jump directly to the target directory.

Answer

cd ~/etc

Answer

cd ../../etc

Answer

cd etc

Question 13

You need to move a file named 'data.txt' from the current directory to '/var/logs' but want to be prompted if a file with the same name already exists in the destination. Which option should you add to 'mv'?

Accepted Answer

mv -i. The -i (interactive) flag prompts the user before overwriting existing files.

Answer

mv -n

Answer

mv -f

Answer

mv -v

Question 14

When using the 'man' command, how do you navigate to the next page of the manual entry?

Accepted Answer

Spacebar. The spacebar is the standard key to scroll forward one full screen in most pager applications, including the man viewer.

Answer

Enter

Answer

Page Up

Answer

Right Arrow

Question 15

You need to see the last 20 lines of a file named 'access.log'. Which command is the most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

tail -n 20 access.log. The tail command with the -n option allows specifying the number of lines to display from the end of the file.

Answer

cat -n 20 access.log

Answer

less -n 20 access.log

Answer

head -n 20 access.log

Question 16

Which command would you use to list files in long format, sorted by modification time, with the newest files appearing first?

Accepted Answer

ls -ltr. The -l (long), -t (time), and -r (reverse) flags together achieve this.

Answer

ls -lt

Answer

ls -lr

Answer

ls -Rlt

Question 17

What is the primary difference between 'man' pages and 'info' pages?

Accepted Answer

info contains more detailed, hyperlinked documentation. Info pages are generally more detailed, hierarchical, and often contain hyperlinks, whereas man pages are typically concise, technical summaries.

Answer

man is graphical, info is text-based

Answer

man pages are obsolete

Answer

man is for system files, info is for users

Question 18

To see the contents of a directory, which command is standard?

Accepted Answer

ls. The ls command is the standard tool for listing directory contents.

Answer

dir

Answer

list

Answer

cat

Question 19

You want to delete a file but you are worried about accidentally deleting the wrong one. Which flag should you use with 'rm' for confirmation?

Accepted Answer

rm -i. The -i flag makes the rm command interactive, asking for confirmation before removing each file.

Answer

rm -f

Answer

rm -v

Answer

rm -R

Question 20

You are trying to find the location of a binary file, specifically the 'ls' command. Which command is best suited for this?

Accepted Answer

which. The 'which' command finds the location of an executable in the user's PATH.

Answer

find

Answer

locate

Answer

whereis