200-901 Understanding and Using APIs Practice Question
A developer is testing a REST API with curl and wants the response to include only the HTTP status code and response headers, discarding the body. Which curl option accomplishes this?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse -o, which redirects the body to a file, with -I, which suppresses the body entirely by using the HEAD method.
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
✓
curl -I https://api.example.com/devices
The -I option issues a HEAD request, which asks the server for the same headers it would send for a GET but without the body. This is ideal for checking status codes, content types, and rate-limit headers cheaply. It is a safe, idempotent inspection method that avoids transferring large payloads during API testing.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
curl -o headers.txt https://api.example.com/devices
Why it's wrong here
The -o flag writes the response body to a file rather than displaying it, but it still downloads the body and does not restrict output to headers. The developer would not see the status and headers on the terminal, and the full body would be saved, which is not the intended outcome.
- ✗
curl -d @payload.json https://api.example.com/devices
Why it's wrong here
The -d flag sends data in the request body, usually implying a POST, and does not suppress the response body. This option both performs a write-like operation and returns full output, so it fails to meet the requirement of showing only status and headers.
- ✗
curl -X POST https://api.example.com/devices
Why it's wrong here
Using -X POST changes the HTTP method to POST, which typically creates or modifies a resource and returns a body. This does not limit output to headers and status; it also risks unintended side effects on the server because POST is not a safe, read-only method for inspection.
- ✓
curl -I https://api.example.com/devices
Why this is correct
The -I option sends a HEAD request, so the server returns headers and status without a response body. This matches the goal of seeing only the status code and headers. It is the standard curl way to inspect metadata such as content type, cache directives, or rate-limit fields without downloading the full representation.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Cisco exam blueprint
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