easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
XK0-006 Practice Question: A system administrator notices that a server's…
A system administrator notices that a server's disk space is critically low. Which command should be used to identify the largest files or directories consuming space?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse `df -h` (filesystem-level usage) with `du` (directory-level usage), mistakenly thinking `df` can identify specific large files or directories when it only shows aggregate mount-point consumption.
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
✓
du -sh /*
`du -sh /*` recursively calculates disk usage for each top-level directory and file under root, summarizing sizes in human-readable format. This directly identifies the largest space consumers, which is the stated goal. The `-s` flag provides a total per argument, and `/*` targets all immediate children of `/`.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
ls -la /
Why it's wrong here
Lists files but does not aggregate recursively.
- ✗
fdisk -l
Why it's wrong here
Displays partition table, not file sizes.
- ✗
df -h
Why it's wrong here
Shows filesystem-level usage, not per-directory details.
- ✓
du -sh /*
Why this is correct
Summarizes disk usage for each top-level directory in human-readable format.
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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.