200-201 parent PID (PPID) Practice Question
An analyst investigating a Linux host notices an unusual process running as root. Which command would provide the most detailed process listing including parent PID and CPU usage?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates may assume 'ps aux' is the most detailed because it includes CPU usage, but it lacks PPID which the question explicitly requires.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
top
The question requires a command that provides parent PID (PPID) and CPU usage. While `ps aux` shows CPU usage, it does not include PPID. Among the options, `top` is the only command that can be configured to display PPID (by adding the PPID column) and shows CPU usage by default. The other options either show network connections (`ss`), open files (`lsof`), or lack PPID (`ps aux`). Therefore, `top` is the most detailed process listing that includes both PPID and CPU usage.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
ss -tlnp
Why it's wrong here
ss -tlnp displays network sockets, not a process listing; it does not show PPID or CPU usage.
- ✗
ps aux
Why it's wrong here
ps aux shows CPU usage but lacks PPID, so it does not meet the requirement of including parent PID.
- ✗
lsof
Why it's wrong here
lsof lists open files and can show associated PIDs, but it does not display CPU usage or PPID in a process listing format.
- ✓
top
Why this is correct
top provides an interactive process listing that can be customized to show PPID and includes CPU usage by default, making it the best choice for the given requirements.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 200-201 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Cisco certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 200-201 exam.