hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
CV0-004 Practice Question: A cloud administrator runs the `iostat` command…
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
```
$ iostat -x 1 3
avg-cpu: %user %nice %system %iowait %steal %idle
5.2 0.0 2.1 45.3 0.0 47.4
Device: rrqm/s wrqm/s r/s w/s rkB/s wkB/s avgrq-sz avgqu-sz await r_await w_await svctm %util
xvda 0.00 0.00 85.0 15.0 3400.0 600.0 80.0 4.5 45.0 40.0 70.0 10.0 90.0%
```A cloud administrator runs the `iostat` command on a Linux VM experiencing slow performance. Based on the exhibit, what is the most likely bottleneck?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates may misinterpret high `%util` as a CPU bottleneck because `iostat` also displays CPU stats, but the question specifically asks about the bottleneck indicated by the exhibit, which clearly points to disk I/O saturation.
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
✓
Disk I/O is saturated.
The `iostat` command reports CPU and I/O statistics. The exhibit shows high `%util` (e.g., 99.9%) and elevated `await` or `svctm` values, indicating that the disk device is operating at or near its maximum capacity. This means the disk I/O subsystem is saturated, causing requests to queue and slowing overall VM performance.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Disk I/O is saturated.
Why this is correct
High %iowait and disk utilization indicate I/O bottleneck.
- ✗
Network bandwidth is limited.
Why it's wrong here
No network metrics in output.
- ✗
CPU is overloaded.
Why it's wrong here
CPU %user + %system = 7.3%, not high.
- ✗
Memory is insufficient.
Why it's wrong here
iostat does not show memory metrics.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CV0-004 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 CV0-004 exam.