hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
XK0-006 Practice Question: A senior administrator is troubleshooting a shell…
A senior administrator is troubleshooting a shell script that fails to execute properly. The script starts with #!/bin/bash and has execute permissions. Which of the following could cause the script to fail to run when invoked as ./script.sh?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers think the shebang line must be on the first line (Option A) is the issue, but CompTIA tests the subtle Windows line-ending problem (\r) that causes the interpreter path to be invalid, which is a common real-world pitfall when scripts are edited in Windows environments and transferred to Linux.
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
✓
The script contains carriage return characters (\r).
Carriage return characters (\r) are a common issue when scripts are edited on Windows and then transferred to Linux. The shebang line #!/bin/bash expects a Unix-style line ending (LF), but \r characters cause the shell to interpret the command interpreter as '/bin/bash\r', which is not a valid executable path. This results in a 'No such file or directory' error when the script is invoked as ./script.sh, even though permissions are correct.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The shebang line is not on the first line.
Why it's wrong here
Shebang must be first line, but that would cause an error.
- ✓
The script contains carriage return characters (\r).
Why this is correct
Can cause 'No such file or directory'.
- ✗
The script uses #!/bin/sh instead of bash.
Why it's wrong here
That is a valid shebang.
- ✗
The script starts with a byte order mark (BOM).
Why it's wrong here
BOM is valid in UTF-8 scripts.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Linux Fundamentals and History
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
Windows
Windows is a family of operating systems developed by Microsoft that manages computer hardware and software, providing a graphical user interface for users to interact with their devices.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.