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220-1102 Practice Question: A help desk ticket states that a user cannot…
A help desk ticket states that a user cannot write to a shared directory /data/projects. The directory permissions are drwxr-xr-x and the user is in the 'staff' group. The directory's group owner is 'staff'. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
The CompTIA A+ exam often tests the misconception that being a member of the group that owns a directory automatically grants write access, but candidates overlook that the group permissions must explicitly include the write bit (w) for the user to write to the directory.
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
✓
The directory lacks group write permission.
The directory permissions are drwxr-xr-x, which means the owner has read, write, and execute (rwx), the group has read and execute (r-x), and others have read and execute (r-x). Since the user is in the 'staff' group and the directory's group owner is 'staff', the user's effective permissions are the group permissions, which lack write (w). Therefore, the user cannot write to the directory. Option B correctly identifies that the directory lacks group write permission.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The user does not have read permission on the directory.
Why it's wrong here
Read permission on a directory (the 'r' bit) allows a user to list its contents, such as viewing file names and subdirectories. If the user lacked read permission, they would typically be unable to even view the directory's contents or navigate into it, let alone attempt to write. The existing group permissions (r-x) explicitly grant read access for members of the group, indicating that the user can indeed read the directory listing.
- ✓
The directory lacks group write permission.
Why this is correct
The 'r-x' permission set for the group on the directory explicitly grants read and execute (traverse) permissions but conspicuously lacks the 'w' (write) permission. For a user to create, delete, or rename files within a directory, they must have write permission on that directory. Since the user is likely a member of the group, and the group lacks the necessary write permission, they are unable to perform write operations within the directory.
- ✗
The user is not the owner of the directory.
Why it's wrong here
Being the owner of a directory is not the sole requirement for write access; a user can also gain write permissions through group membership or 'other' permissions. If the user is a member of the directory's owning group and that group has write permissions, the user does not need to be the owner. Therefore, the user's inability to write is not directly caused by a lack of ownership if group permissions are the actual limiting factor.
- ✗
The sticky bit is set on the directory.
Why it's wrong here
The sticky bit, represented as 't' in directory permissions, primarily prevents users from deleting or renaming files within that directory if they do not own those specific files, even if they have write permission on the directory itself. However, the sticky bit does not prevent a user from creating new files or modifying existing files that they own within that directory. The problem describes an inability to write, which includes creating new files, a function not restricted by the sticky bit.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1202 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA 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 220-1202 exam.