This XK0-005 practice question tests your understanding of troubleshooting. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 process is consuming excessive CPU. The administrator wants to reduce its priority. Which command should be used?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "which command"
Why it matters: Tests specific CLI syntax. Recall the exact command and its required context — near-synonyms and partial matches are common distractors.
renice +10 PID
Lowers priority of a running process.
taskset -c 0 PID
Why wrong: Sets CPU affinity, not priority.
nice -n -20 PID
Why wrong: Starts a new process with high priority, not for existing.
chrt -r 99 PID
Why wrong: Sets real-time scheduling, not priority.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
renice +10 PID
The `renice` command is used to change the priority of an already running process. By specifying `+10`, the administrator increases the nice value, which lowers the process's scheduling priority and reduces its CPU consumption. This directly addresses the requirement to reduce the priority of a currently executing process.
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.
renice +10 PID
Why this is correct
Lowers priority of a running process.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "which command" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
taskset -c 0 PID
Why it's wrong here
Sets CPU affinity, not priority.
nice -n -20 PID
Why it's wrong here
Starts a new process with high priority, not for existing.
chrt -r 99 PID
Why it's wrong here
Sets real-time scheduling, not priority.
Common exam traps
The trap here is confusing `nice` (which starts a new process with a specified priority) with `renice` (which changes the priority of an existing process), leading candidates to choose option C even though it uses a negative value that increases priority.
Detailed technical explanation
The nice value ranges from -20 (highest priority) to 19 (lowest priority) on Linux, and `renice` adjusts this value for an existing PID. Under the hood, the kernel's Completely Fair Scheduler (CFS) uses the nice value to calculate a process's weight, which determines its time slice relative to other processes. A real-world scenario is when a background backup job is consuming too many CPU cycles; using `renice +10` on its PID ensures interactive processes remain responsive.
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
Troubleshooting — This question tests Troubleshooting — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: renice +10 PID — The `renice` command is used to change the priority of an already running process. By specifying `+10`, the administrator increases the nice value, which lowers the process's scheduling priority and reduces its CPU consumption. This directly addresses the requirement to reduce the priority of a currently executing process.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "which command". Tests specific CLI syntax. Recall the exact command and its required context — near-synonyms and partial matches are common distractors.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
This XK0-005 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 XK0-005 exam.
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