XK0-006 Automation, Orchestration, and Scripting Practice Question
A developer is writing a Bash script that needs to parse command-line options with arguments, such as -f filename and -v. Which built-in command should be used to handle these options?
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
✓
getopts
getopts is the standard Bash built-in for parsing short options with or without arguments.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
getopt
Why it's wrong here
getopt is an external utility, not a Bash built-in, so it fails the stem's explicit requirement. It is tempting because it genuinely parses short and long options with arguments; getopts is the shell built-in that handles -f filename and -v.
- ✓
getopts
Why this is correct
getopts is the shell built-in that parses short options, handling flags and their arguments, and exposes each via OPTARG and OPTIND. It satisfies the requirement to process -f filename and -v without external utilities or manual argument shifting.
- ✗
case
Why it's wrong here
case matches a value against patterns; it performs no option parsing and cannot bind an argument to -f. It suits dispatching on an already-extracted flag inside a getopts loop, but the stem asks which built-in parses options and their arguments.
- ✗
shift
Why it's wrong here
shift repositions positional parameters after manual parsing; it does not itself recognise options or bind arguments like -f filename. It suits iterating remaining arguments once getopts has consumed flags, but the stem asks which built-in parses options and their arguments.
Go deeper
Related to this question
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.
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.
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