XK0-006 Automation, Orchestration, and Scripting Practice Question
A Bash script uses getopts to parse command-line options. The options are -a (requires an argument) and -b (flag). Which code correctly implements this and stores the argument for -a in $optarg?
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
✓
while getopts 'a:b' opt; do case $opt in a) arg=$OPTARG ;; b) flag=true ;; esac done
getopts uses the option string 'a:b' where 'a:' indicates -a requires an argument. The argument is stored in the variable $OPTARG (not $optarg).
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
while getopts 'a:b' opt; do case $opt in a) arg=$OPTARG ;; b) flag=true ;; esac done
Why this is correct
Correct. The colon after a indicates it requires an argument, and $OPTARG holds the value.
- ✗
while getopts 'ab:' opt; do case $opt in a) arg=$OPTARG ;; b) flag=true ;; esac done
Why it's wrong here
Option string 'ab:' means -b requires argument, not -a.
- ✗
while getopts 'a:b' opt; do case $opt in a) arg=$optarg ;; b) flag=true ;; esac done
Why it's wrong here
The variable is $OPTARG (uppercase), not $optarg.
- ✗
while getopts ':a:b' opt; do case $opt in a) arg=$OPTARG ;; b) flag=true ;; esac done
Why it's wrong here
Leading colon suppresses errors but does not affect argument parsing.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Logical Volume Management (LVM)
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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