010-160 Multiple Select — 40 Questions

Question 1

A security audit requires reviewing which local accounts exist on a Linux server, which of them have usable login shells, and which groups each account belongs to. Which TWO commands or files provide authoritative local account and group membership information? (Choose two.)

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

/etc/passwd. Local account records live in /etc/passwd, and local group definitions with supplementary members live in /etc/group. Reading them together reveals which accounts exist, what login shells they have, and which groups each belongs to. The shadow file covers passwords, skel provides templates, and nsswitch merely directs lookup order, so those three do not supply the required listings.

Answer

/etc/shadow

Answer

/etc/skel

Answer

/etc/nsswitch.conf

Question 2

A Linux administrator is reviewing how environment variables affect command execution. Which TWO of the following statements about environment variables are correct? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Environment variables are always inherited by child processes unless explicitly unset.. PATH determines where the shell looks for executables, and environment variables are inherited by child processes by default. These two properties are central to how commands are located and how settings propagate in a Linux session. The other statements misidentify HOME and PS1 and incorrectly restrict variable setting to root, so they are not correct.

Answer

Environment variables can only be set by the root user.

Answer

The PS1 variable controls the system's primary network interface.

Answer

The HOME variable stores the system's hostname.

Question 3

A nonprofit is drafting a policy that explains how its staff may legally use and redistribute open source software. The draft must correctly reflect the freedoms that free and open source licenses grant to recipients. Which two statements accurately describe those freedoms? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Recipients may study the source code and modify it to suit their needs. Free and open source licenses grant recipients the freedom to use software for any purpose, including commercial activity, and to study and modify its source code. These two permissions form the backbone of both the Free Software Definition and the Open Source Definition. Mandatory licensing fees, organization-only redistribution, and removal of copyright notices are not granted rights and would misrepresent the legal position of the nonprofit's staff.

Answer

Recipients must always pay a licensing fee to the original author before deploying the software

Answer

Recipients may remove the original author's copyright notice before publishing modified versions

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Recipients may redistribute the software only within the same organization that originally obtained it

Question 4

Which TWO of the following tools allow you to manage disk partitions?

Accepted Answer

fdisk. fdisk (A) is a classic Linux command-line utility used to create, delete, resize, and manage disk partitions on MBR and (in recent versions) GPT disks, so it directly satisfies the requirement. parted (B) is another partition-management tool that supports both MBR and GPT partitioning schemes and can create, resize, move, and delete partitions, making it equally valid for this task. The remaining options do not manage partitions: cat (C) concatenates and displays file contents, sed (D) is a stream editor for text transformation, and grep (E) searches text for pattern matches.

Answer

cat

Answer

sed

Answer

grep

Question 5

A systems administrator is evaluating career paths within the Linux and open source ecosystem. The administrator is interested in roles that combine system operations with software development practices. Which two activities are most characteristic of a DevOps-oriented Linux role? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Writing and maintaining infrastructure as code using tools such as Ansible, Terraform, or shell scripts to automate provisioning and configuration.. DevOps-oriented Linux roles emphasize automation and collaboration between operations and development. Writing infrastructure as code and building CI/CD pipelines are two defining activities because they replace manual, inconsistent processes with versioned, repeatable automation. Manual installations, annual freezes, and avoiding version control represent traditional practices that DevOps seeks to move away from.

Answer

Avoiding version control systems and keeping configuration changes only in local notes on each administrator's workstation for speed.

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Manually installing each server from physical installation media and configuring every service by hand to ensure unique, tailored setups.

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Restricting all application changes to an annual release window and freezing the environment for the rest of the year to minimize risk.

Question 6

A Linux administrator is working in a directory with many files and wants to identify files by their type and permissions without opening them. Which TWO commands can provide this information? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

ls -l. To identify file type and permissions without opening files, ls -l provides permissions and type indicators, while file determines the content type. Together they cover both needs. cat and less open file contents, which is not desired, and stat focuses on metadata like permissions but does not classify content type as file does. Thus, ls -l and file are the two appropriate commands.

Answer

stat

Answer

cat

Answer

less

Question 7

A technician is examining files in /var/tmp and needs to identify which entries are directories rather than regular files. Which two commands can provide this information? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

ls -l /var/tmp. Both ls -l and file reveal the nature of each entry: the long listing encodes the type in its first character, and the file utility prints a descriptive type for every argument. The remaining commands either print raw contents, summarize total disk usage, or count bytes, none of which separates directories from regular files in /var/tmp.

Answer

wc -c /var/tmp

Answer

cat /var/tmp/*

Answer

du -sh /var/tmp

Question 8

Which TWO statements regarding the 'umask' command are correct?

Accepted Answer

It sets default permissions for new files.. Option B is correct because umask defines the default permission bits that are removed when a new file or directory is created, so it directly sets the default permissions for new files (e.g., a umask of 022 yields 644 for files and 755 for directories). Option E is correct because umask works by masking, or clearing, permission bits from the base creation mode (666 for files, 777 for directories) so those bits are not set on newly created files. Option A is wrong because any user can set their own umask, not just root. Option C is wrong because umask is a shell/process attribute typically set in shell profiles like /etc/profile or ~/.bashrc, not stored in /etc/shadow, which holds password hashes. Option D is wrong because umask only affects files created after it is set; it does not retroactively change permissions on existing files.

Answer

It can only be set by root.

Answer

It is stored in /etc/shadow.

Answer

It applies to existing files immediately.

Question 9

Which THREE of the following represent ways to manipulate command output in a pipe?

Accepted Answer

grep. grep is correct because it filters piped input line-by-line using pattern matching and emits only matching lines to stdout, which is a classic way to manipulate command output in a pipe. wc is correct because it consumes piped input and produces counts of lines, words, and bytes (with -l, -w, -c), transforming the stream into summary output. sed is correct because it is a stream editor that reads piped input and performs non-interactive text transformations such as substitution (s/old/new/g), deletion, and printing, directly manipulating the output stream. cd is not correct because it is a shell builtin that changes the current working directory and does not read stdin or transform piped data. pwd is not correct because it simply prints the current working directory name and does not accept or manipulate piped input.

Answer

cd

Answer

pwd

Question 10

Which TWO of the following help manage compressed archive contents?

Accepted Answer

gzip. Option C, gzip, is correct because it is the standard GNU/Linux compression utility that compresses and decompresses files (creating .gz archives) and can also list compression information with gzip -l, directly managing compressed archive contents. Option E, tar, is correct because it is the archiving utility that bundles multiple files and directories into a single archive and, when combined with compression options such as -z (gzip), -j (bzip2), or -J (xz), creates and extracts compressed archives like .tar.gz, making it a primary tool for managing compressed archive contents. Option A, find, is incorrect because it searches the filesystem for files matching criteria such as name, size, or permissions; it does not compress, decompress, or manipulate archive contents. Option B, cat, is incorrect because it concatenates and displays file contents to standard output and has no archive or compression management capability. Option D, grep, is incorrect because it searches text patterns within files and, while it can search inside uncompressed streams, it does not create, extract, or otherwise manage compressed archives.

Answer

find

Answer

cat

Answer

grep

Question 11

A technician is preparing a presentation on how Linux organizes its filesystem and wants to describe the role of the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard. Which two statements accurately describe the FHS as it applies to mainstream Linux distributions? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

It defines a common directory layout so that software and administrators can rely on predictable locations for files.. The Filesystem Hierarchy Standard exists to make file locations predictable across distributions, covering both core system directories and conventions for mounts such as /media and /mnt. It deliberately does not dictate storage formats or kernel versions, and configuration files are not forced into one universal directory. The two accurate statements reflect its real scope: consistent layout and defined mount conventions.

Answer

It guarantees that all configuration files are stored in a single directory regardless of the software package.

Answer

It specifies the exact kernel version that a conforming distribution must ship.

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It mandates that every distribution use the ext4 filesystem for the root partition.

Question 12

Which THREE of the following are types of manual page sections?

Accepted Answer

User commands (1). The Linux manual pages are organized into numbered sections, and the three options marked correct are genuine section types: B 'User commands (1)' is section 1, which documents executable programs and shell commands users can run; C 'System calls (2)' is section 2, which documents the kernel system-call interface used by programs such as open(2) and read(2); and D 'File formats (5)' is section 5, which documents file formats and conventions such as /etc/passwd(5) and proc(5). The unmarked options do not belong: A 'Network protocols (10)' is not a manual section (section 10 does not exist in the standard man-pages layout), and E 'Kernel hardware (20)' is not a manual section either (section 20 is not a standard section; hardware-related pages typically appear in section 4, 'Devices and special files').

Answer

Network protocols (10)

Answer

Kernel hardware (20)

Question 13

Which THREE commands are used to manage user account lifecycle?

Accepted Answer

useradd. The three commands that manage the user account lifecycle are useradd (C), userdel (D), and usermod (E). useradd creates a new user account, including its entry in /etc/passwd, /etc/shadow, and /etc/group, and optionally provisions a home directory and default shell, which is the creation phase of the lifecycle. userdel removes a user account and, with options like -r, also deletes the home directory and mail spool, covering the deletion phase. usermod modifies an existing account's attributes such as login name (-l), UID (-u), shell (-s), groups (-aG), and account expiry, covering the maintenance/modification phase. passwd (A) only changes or manages a user's password and password aging, and groupadd (B) only creates groups, so neither manages the full user account lifecycle of create, modify, and delete.

Answer

passwd

Answer

groupadd

Question 14

A junior Linux administrator is exploring ways to participate in the open source community beyond simply using the software. Which two activities represent direct contributions to an open source project? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Writing or updating documentation that explains how to install and configure the software. Direct contributions are artifacts submitted back to a project: code patches, documentation updates, translations, bug reports with reproductions, and testing feedback. Submitting a patch or pull request and writing or updating documentation both produce reviewable artifacts that maintainers can merge. Personal use, reading release notes, and recommending the software are consumption or advocacy activities that do not add anything to the project itself.

Answer

Recommending the software to colleagues who are looking for alternatives

Answer

Reading the project's release notes to learn about new features

Answer

Installing the software on a personal laptop and using it for daily tasks

Question 15

Which THREE of the following are environment variables commonly seen in a Linux shell?

Accepted Answer

USER. USER is a standard environment variable that holds the username of the currently logged-in user, so option A is correct. HOME is a standard environment variable that specifies the current user's home directory path, making option C correct. PATH is a standard environment variable that lists the directories the shell searches for executable commands, so option E is correct. ROOT (B) is not a standard environment variable; it is a common username or directory name, not a shell variable. FILE (D) is not a standard environment variable either; it is only a special variable inside Makefiles, not a general Linux shell environment variable.

Answer

ROOT

Answer

FILE

Question 16

A community college is designing an introductory course on Linux and open source culture. The instructor wants to include activities that reflect the collaborative practices of the open source community. (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Asking students to fork a project on a public hosting platform and open a pull request with improvements.. Open source collaboration centers on transparent, public participation. Filing bug reports and patches through public trackers, and forking repositories to submit pull requests, are authentic activities that teach the tools and social norms of community development. Reverse engineering proprietary code, hoarding changes, and requiring paid licenses contradict those practices.

Answer

Requiring students to reverse engineer a proprietary application and publish its source code.

Answer

Having students purchase a commercial license before reading any project documentation.

Answer

Instructing students to keep all modifications private and never share changes with the upstream project.

Question 17

You are hardening a server and must ensure that ordinary users cannot read the contents of `/etc/shadow`. Which two statements about `/etc/shadow` access are correct? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Its permissions are typically 640 with owner root and group shadow, so only root and members of the shadow group can read it.. On typical Linux systems /etc/shadow is mode 640 with owner root and group shadow, leaving the others category with no access, which is what keeps ordinary users from reading password hashes. Those hashes are salted but still vulnerable to offline cracking if exposed, so read restriction is the key control. Direct reads happen through privileged programs, not through ordinary user access.

Answer

It is readable by all users because the passwd command must consult it during a normal login.

Answer

It can be read by any user who supplies the correct password through the sudo prompt.

Answer

Its contents are encrypted with a system-wide key stored in /etc/crypttab, so permissions are largely irrelevant.

Question 18

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 19

A Linux administrator is reviewing user account files and needs to understand where user information is stored. Which TWO of the following files contain user account details? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

/etc/shadow. User account details are primarily stored in /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow. The former holds general account information, while the latter holds encrypted passwords and aging data. Other files like /etc/group and /etc/gshadow pertain to groups, and /etc/login.defs provides configuration defaults, not actual account records.

Answer

/etc/login.defs

Answer

/etc/group

Answer

/etc/gshadow

Question 20

Which THREE of the following items are typically found in the /etc directory?

Accepted Answer

/etc/fstab. /etc/fstab (B) is correct because it is the standard configuration file listing filesystems to be mounted at boot, including mount points, filesystem types, and mount options. /etc/passwd (C) is correct because it is the traditional system file storing user account information such as usernames, UIDs, GIDs, home directories, and login shells. /etc/hosts (D) is correct because it provides static hostname-to-IP-address mappings used by the system resolver before DNS. The other options do not belong: /etc/tmp (A) is not a standard file or directory in /etc, and /etc/bin (E) is not standard since executable binaries reside in /bin, /usr/bin, or /usr/local/bin, not under /etc.

Answer

/etc/tmp

Answer

/etc/bin