010-160 Finding Your Way ON A Linux System Practice Test 3 — 15 Questions

Question 1

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. tail -n 20 access.log prints the last 20 lines of the file, which is exactly what is needed to inspect recent log entries. The -n option specifies the number of lines, and tail reads from the end of the file, making it ideal for logs where the newest events are appended at the bottom.

Answer

cat -n 20 access.log

Answer

less -n 20 access.log

Answer

head -n 20 access.log

Question 2

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

Accepted Answer

info contains more detailed, hyperlinked documentation. Info pages are GNU's hypertext documentation system, providing more detailed, structured, and hyperlinked content than traditional man pages. They are navigated with the 'info' command using nodes, menus, and cross-references, making them better suited for complex GNU tools like coreutils and bash. Man pages, by contrast, are single-page, linear reference documents.

Answer

man is graphical, info is text-based

Answer

man pages are obsolete

Answer

man is for system files, info is for users

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

ls. `ls` is the standard POSIX/Linux command for listing directory contents, and it is present on every Linux distribution as part of coreutils. It reads directory entries via the readdir() system call and prints them to stdout, with options like -l, -a, and -h for formatting. It is the canonical answer for 'list directory contents' on Linux.

Answer

dir

Answer

list

Answer

cat

Question 4

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 on rm stands for 'interactive' and prompts the user for confirmation before deleting each file. This is exactly the safeguard needed when you want to avoid accidentally removing the wrong file.

Answer

rm -f

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rm -v

Answer

rm -R

Question 5

You have created a script but it is not executable. Which command should you use to give the owner execute permissions?

Accepted Answer

chmod u+x. The 'chmod u+x' command adds execute permission for the user (owner) of the file. 'chmod' is the correct command to change file mode bits, and 'u+x' specifies adding execute permission for the user category. This is the standard way to make a script executable for its owner.

Answer

chown u+x

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chgrp u+x

Answer

chperm u+x

Question 6

You want to create a symbolic link named 'link_to_file' that points to 'original_file'. Which command is correct?

Accepted Answer

ln -s original_file link_to_file. The `ln -s` command creates a symbolic link, which is a special file that points to another file by name. The syntax is `ln -s `, so `ln -s original_file link_to_file` correctly creates a symlink named `link_to_file` that references `original_file`. Without `-s`, `ln` creates a hard link, which is a different mechanism entirely.

Answer

link original_file link_to_file

Answer

ln -h original_file link_to_file

Answer

ln original_file link_to_file

Question 7

What does the 'cat' command do when provided with multiple filenames as arguments?

Accepted Answer

It displays the contents of all files sequentially. When cat is given multiple filenames, it reads each file in the order listed and writes their contents to standard output sequentially, effectively concatenating them. This is the core behavior that gives the command its name (concatenate).

Answer

It displays only the first file

Answer

It compares them

Answer

It merges them into one file

Question 8

What is the purpose of the 'tee' command?

Accepted Answer

To split output to file and screen. The 'tee' command reads from standard input and writes to both standard output (the screen) and one or more files simultaneously. It is named after a T-splitter in plumbing, reflecting how it splits the data stream. This is useful for capturing output while still viewing it in real time, such as logging a command's output without losing visibility.

Answer

To join files

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To format output

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To filter output

Question 9

When using 'man', what does the section number '5' refer to?

Accepted Answer

File formats. In the Linux man page section scheme, section 5 is reserved for file formats and conventions (e.g., /etc/passwd, /etc/fstab). Section 1 is user commands, section 2 is system calls, and section 3 is library functions. Knowing the section numbers lets you disambiguate pages like 'passwd' (1 vs 5).

Answer

User commands

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System calls

Answer

Kernel routines

Question 10

Which command is used to clear the terminal screen?

Accepted Answer

clear. The `clear` command is the standard Unix/Linux utility that clears the terminal screen by sending the appropriate escape sequence (typically `\033[H\033[2J` or `\033[3J`) to the terminal emulator. It is part of the ncurses package and works by consulting the `TERM` environment variable to determine the correct control characters for the current terminal type. This makes it the correct and portable choice for clearing the screen in a shell session.

Answer

clean

Answer

wipe

Answer

reset

Question 11

You need to append the output of a command to an existing file without overwriting it. Which operator should you use?

Accepted Answer

>>. The >> operator redirects standard output and appends it to the end of an existing file, preserving the file's current contents. This is the standard shell mechanism for adding output without truncating the file. Using >> is the correct way to log or accumulate command results over time.

Answer

|

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>

Answer

&

Question 12

Which shell variable typically contains the directories searched for command executables?

Accepted Answer

$PATH. The $PATH environment variable holds a colon-separated list of directories that the shell searches, in order, when you type a command without a path. It is the standard mechanism for locating executables like ls, grep, or custom scripts.

Answer

$SHELL

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$USER

Answer

$HOME

Question 13

Which TWO of the following commands can be used to display the contents of a text file?

Accepted Answer

cat. Option C, cat, is correct because the cat command concatenates and prints file contents directly to standard output, making it the standard way to display a text file's contents. Option D, less, is correct because it is a pager that displays a text file's contents one screen at a time, allowing scrolling and searching through the file. The unmarked options do not belong: cd changes the current working directory, mkdir creates a new directory, and mv moves or renames files or directories—none of these display file contents.

Answer

cd

Answer

mkdir

Answer

mv

Question 14

You are searching for a command that deals with 'groups' and want to see all manual pages that mention this term. Which command is most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

apropos groups. The 'apropos' command searches the manual page names and short descriptions for a keyword, making it the correct tool to find all man pages that mention 'groups'. It is equivalent to 'man -k groups'. This allows the user to discover commands related to groups, such as 'groupadd', 'groupdel', etc.

Answer

whatis groups

Answer

info groups

Answer

man -a groups

Question 15

Which TWO of the following are valid ways to get help on a Linux system?

Accepted Answer

man. Option B, `man`, is correct because the manual page system is the standard Linux documentation interface, invoked as `man <command>` to display the reference manual for a command, system call, or configuration file. Option D, `help`, is correct because it is a valid built-in command in shells like Bash that prints usage information for shell built-ins (e.g., `help cd`), and it also appears as a common `--help` option on many utilities. The other options are not valid Linux help mechanisms: `search` is not a help command (it resembles Windows' `search` or unrelated tools), `findhelp` is not a standard Linux command, and `explain` is not a Linux help utility.

Answer

search

Answer

findhelp

Answer

explain