This XK0-005 practice question tests your understanding of system management. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A Linux administrator is tasked with adding a new 1TB hard drive to a server. The drive has been partitioned and formatted with ext4, resulting in the device /dev/sdb1. The administrator needs the drive to be mounted persistently at /data. After adding an entry to /etc/fstab, the administrator runs 'mount -a' and sees the error: 'mount: /data: mount point does not exist.' Which of the following should the administrator do first to resolve the issue?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "first"
Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Run mkfs.ext4 on /dev/sdb1
Why wrong: The filesystem is already formatted; reformatting would destroy data.
Reboot the server
Why wrong: Rebooting would not create the missing directory.
Create the /data directory with mkdir
The mount point must exist before mounting; mkdir creates it.
Run fsck on /dev/sdb1
Why wrong: fsck checks filesystem integrity, not missing mount points.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Create the /data directory with mkdir
The error 'mount point does not exist' indicates that the directory /data has not been created on the filesystem. The mount command requires an existing directory to attach the device to. Creating the /data directory with mkdir resolves this, allowing mount -a to succeed.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Run mkfs.ext4 on /dev/sdb1
Why it's wrong here
The filesystem is already formatted; reformatting would destroy data.
Reboot the server
Why it's wrong here
Rebooting would not create the missing directory.
Create the /data directory with mkdir
Why this is correct
The mount point must exist before mounting; mkdir creates it.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Run fsck on /dev/sdb1
Why it's wrong here
fsck checks filesystem integrity, not missing mount points.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates may assume the mount point is automatically created by the system or that the error indicates a filesystem problem, leading them to choose fsck or reformatting instead of the simple directory creation step.
Detailed technical explanation
The mount system call requires a valid pathname for the target directory; if it does not exist, the call fails with ENOENT. In a real-world scenario, an administrator might automate mount point creation in provisioning scripts (e.g., using Ansible's file module) to avoid this error. The /etc/fstab entry itself does not create the directory, so manual creation or a pre-mount hook is necessary.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A practitioner preparing for the XK0-005 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
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FAQ
System Management — This question tests System Management — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Create the /data directory with mkdir — The error 'mount point does not exist' indicates that the directory /data has not been created on the filesystem. The mount command requires an existing directory to attach the device to. Creating the /data directory with mkdir resolves this, allowing mount -a to succeed.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
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