XK0-006 Automation, Orchestration, and Scripting Practice Question
A bash script uses a loop to iterate over files in a directory. Which TWO of the following loop constructs will correctly iterate over each .txt file in the current directory? (Select TWO).
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
✓
for file in *.txt; do
for file in *.txt expands to all matching filenames; the C-style for loop can also be used with array of filenames, but direct expansion is simpler.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
for file in '*.txt'; do
Why it's wrong here
Single quotes prevent glob expansion; loops over literal string '*.txt'.
- ✗
for file in $(ls *.txt); do
Why it's wrong here
Parsing ls is error-prone; may break with spaces.
- ✓
for file in *.txt; do
Why this is correct
Glob expands to all .txt files.
- ✗
for ((i=0; i<${#files[@]}; i++)); do
Why it's wrong here
This requires an array variable 'files' to be defined first.
- ✓
while IFS= read -r file; do done < <(find . -maxdepth 1 -name '*.txt')
Why this is correct
Process substitution with find is safe for filenames with spaces.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
File Permissions and Ownership
Key term
Bash script
A Bash script is a text file containing a sequence of commands for the Unix shell Bash, allowing users to automate repetitive tasks and streamline system administration on Linux and macOS.
Key term
Bash
Bash is a command-line interpreter that lets users interact with an operating system by typing text commands instead of clicking icons.
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