XK0-006 System Management Practice Question
A process is consuming excessive CPU and needs to be stopped immediately. The process ID is 4582. Which command should be used?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is thinking SIGTERM (15) is immediate; candidates often pick `kill -15` as the default, but the question specifies 'immediately', which requires SIGKILL (9).
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
✓
kill -9 4582
The `kill -9 4582` command sends SIGKILL (signal 9) to process ID 4582, which forcibly terminates the process immediately without allowing it to clean up. This is the correct choice when a process is consuming excessive CPU and must be stopped immediately, as SIGKILL cannot be caught or ignored.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
kill -9 4582
Why this is correct
SIGKILL (signal 9) cannot be caught, blocked, or ignored by the process, so the kernel terminates PID 4582 immediately without waiting for cleanup. This satisfies the stem's requirement to stop the runaway process at once, unlike SIGTERM, which the process may handle or defer.
- ✗
kill -1 4582
Why it's wrong here
Signal 1 (SIGHUP) is a hangup notification that many daemons treat as a configuration reload, so the process may keep consuming CPU. It is tempting as the lowest-numbered signal, but immediate termination requires SIGKILL (kill -9), which cannot be caught or ignored.
- ✗
kill -STOP 4582
Why it's wrong here
SIGSTOP suspends the process, halting its CPU consumption but leaving it resident and resumable with SIGCONT. It is tempting because the process does stop running, yet the requirement is to stop it immediately and permanently, which only SIGKILL (kill -9) achieves.
- ✗
kill -15 4582
Why it's wrong here
SIGTERM requests graceful shutdown, allowing the process to run cleanup handlers, so a busy or unresponsive process may delay or ignore termination. It is tempting as the default kill signal, but immediate cessation demands SIGKILL (kill -9), which the kernel enforces without handler interception.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
This XK0-006 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the XK0-006 exam.