XK0-006 Automation, Orchestration, and Scripting Practice Question
A DevOps engineer is writing a Bash script that checks if a file exists and is readable. Which test condition should be used inside an if statement?
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
✓
[[ -r file ]]
The -e test checks if a file exists, and -r checks if it is readable. Using -f also checks for a regular file, but the question requires existence and readability, so combining -e and -r is correct. However, the options include -f and -r, but -f alone does not check readability. The correct combination is -e and -r, but since that is not an option, the best answer is -r because it implies existence? Actually, -r returns true only if the file exists and is readable. So -r alone satisfies both conditions.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
[[ -e file ]]
Why it's wrong here
This checks if file exists, but not if it is readable.
- ✗
[[ -f file ]]
Why it's wrong here
This checks if file is a regular file, but not if it is readable.
- ✗
[[ -s file ]]
Why it's wrong here
This checks if file exists and has a size greater than zero, not readability.
- ✓
[[ -r file ]]
Why this is correct
Correct. -r returns true if the file exists and has read permission.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
File Permissions and Ownership
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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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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