FC0-U71 Applications and Software Practice Question
A user wants to install a locally compiled C program on a Linux system so that it becomes available system-wide to all users. Which command should the user run from the source directory after compilation?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse the compilation step with the installation step, assuming that building a program automatically makes it available to all users.
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
✓
sudo make install
Installing locally compiled software on Linux requires copying the built artifacts into system directories, which is exactly what the make install target does. Because standard install locations such as /usr/local/bin are owned by root, the operation must be elevated with sudo. Compiling with make alone or merely changing permissions does not make the program available system-wide.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
chmod +x program
Why it's wrong here
The chmod +x command only marks the file as executable; it does not copy it to a system-wide bin directory. The program would remain in the current folder, so other users could not invoke it by name unless they provided the full path, which does not meet the system-wide requirement.
- ✗
sudo apt-get install ./program
Why it's wrong here
This command is used to install a Debian package file, not a locally compiled binary. The program was built from source and is not packaged as a .deb, so apt-get would fail to find or process it. Package managers cannot install arbitrary compiled executables.
- ✗
make
Why it's wrong here
The make command compiles source code according to the Makefile, producing binaries, but it does not install them into system directories. It must be run before installation, not instead of it, so running it here would leave the program only in the build directory and unavailable system-wide.
- ✓
sudo make install
Why this is correct
The make install target copies compiled binaries, libraries, and configuration files into system directories such as /usr/local/bin. Because those locations are root-owned, sudo is required. This is the standard final step in the ./configure && make && make install sequence for locally built software on Linux.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every FC0-U71 question from scratch — 988 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
This FC0-U71 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 FC0-U71 exam.