010-160 Finding Your Way ON A Linux System Practice Test 2 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A user wants to view the first 15 lines of a large log file named system.log and then follow the file as new lines are appended in real time. Which command should be used?

Accepted Answer

head -n 15 system.log && tail -f system.log. To display the first 15 lines and then follow the file, combining head -n 15 with tail -f using && is the correct approach. head shows the beginning, and tail -f keeps the terminal open to show new lines. Using tail -n 15 shows the wrong end, tail -n +15 skips the first 14 lines, and head alone does not follow. The combined command meets both parts of the scenario.

Answer

tail -n 15 system.log

Answer

tail -n +15 -f system.log

Answer

head -n 15 system.log

Question 2

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. `rm -r temp_backup` recursively removes the directory and all its contents, which is required because `rm` by default refuses to delete directories. The -r (recursive) flag descends into subdirectories and deletes files before removing the directory itself. This is the standard way to delete a non-empty directory.

Answer

rm temp_backup

Answer

rmdir temp_backup

Answer

rm -f temp_backup

Question 3

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 navigates directly to the current user's home directory from any location. The tilde (~) is a shell expansion that represents the home directory path, making it the most efficient and location-independent way to return home. 'cd' alone also works, but 'cd ~' is explicit and universally correct.

Answer

cd ..

Answer

cd /

Answer

cd /home

Question 4

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 is specifically designed to create an empty file if it does not exist, or update the access and modification timestamps of an existing file to the current time. It does this by making a `utime()` system call, which sets the file's timestamps without altering its content. This is the standard Linux/Unix utility for timestamp manipulation and empty file creation.

Answer

cp

Answer

mkdir

Answer

mv

Question 5

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 a combination of `-dR --preserve=all`, which recursively copies directories while preserving symbolic links, file permissions, ownership, timestamps, and extended attributes. This makes it the only option that ensures all subdirectories and file attributes are preserved in a single command. While `-p` preserves some attributes, it does not recurse into subdirectories, and `-r` recurses but does not preserve attributes. Therefore, `cp -a` is essential for a complete archive copy.

Answer

cp -p

Answer

cp -v

Answer

cp -r

Question 6

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

/. In the 'less' pager, pressing '/' initiates a forward search for a specified string. After typing the pattern and pressing Enter, 'less' highlights all matches and jumps to the first occurrence after the current position. This is consistent with the vi/vim editor's search behavior, which 'less' mimics for user familiarity.

Answer

?

Answer

q

Answer

n

Question 7

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' option (equivalent to 'apropos') searches the manual page short descriptions for a keyword and returns all matching entries, which is exactly what you need when you know a concept but not the command name. It queries the whatis database built by mandb/makewhatis. This is the standard way to locate commands by keyword rather than by exact name.

Answer

man -s

Answer

man -f

Answer

help

Question 8

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

Accepted Answer

ls -a. The 'ls -a' command lists all directory entries, including hidden files (those whose names begin with a dot, like .bashrc or .gitignore). This is the standard way to reveal hidden files alongside regular ones.

Answer

ls -R

Answer

ls -h

Answer

ls -l

Question 9

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

Accepted Answer

pwd. The pwd (print working directory) command displays the absolute path of the current working directory. It is the standard Linux command for identifying where you are in the filesystem hierarchy.

Answer

whoami

Answer

ls

Answer

cd

Question 10

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

Accepted Answer

Parent directory. In filesystem path notation, a single dot (.) refers to the current directory, while two dots (..) refer to the parent directory — the directory one level above the current working directory. This is a POSIX convention used across Linux, macOS, and other Unix-like systems.

Answer

Current directory

Answer

Root directory

Answer

Home directory

Question 11

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

Accepted Answer

whatis. The whatis command displays the one-line description from the man page database for a given command, providing a brief summary without opening the full manual. It reads from the whatis database created by mandb, making it fast and concise. This is exactly the 'brief summary' behavior the question asks for.

Answer

info

Answer

man -d

Answer

apropos

Question 12

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

Accepted Answer

mv oldname newname. The 'mv' command moves or renames files; when the source and destination are in the same directory, it effectively renames the file. Running 'mv oldname newname' renames oldname to newname in place, preserving the inode and all file attributes. This is the standard POSIX way to rename files on Linux and Unix systems.

Answer

rn oldname newname

Answer

ren oldname newname

Answer

cp oldname newname

Question 13

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 (starting with /), which navigates directly to /etc regardless of the current working directory. Absolute paths are resolved from the filesystem root, so this works from anywhere. This is the correct and unambiguous way to move to /etc.

Answer

cd ~/etc

Answer

cd ../../etc

Answer

cd etc

Question 14

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 'mv -i' option enables interactive mode, prompting the user for confirmation before overwriting an existing file in the destination. This directly satisfies the requirement to be prompted if a file with the same name already exists. Without -i, mv silently overwrites by default.

Answer

mv -n

Answer

mv -f

Answer

mv -v

Question 15

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

Accepted Answer

Spacebar. The 'man' command uses the 'less' pager by default, and in 'less', pressing the Spacebar scrolls forward by one full page. This is a standard navigation convention in Unix pagers, allowing quick reading of long manual pages. The Spacebar is the correct key to advance to the next page of the manual entry.

Answer

Enter

Answer

Page Up

Answer

Right Arrow