XK0-006 System Management Practice Question
A system administrator wants to find all files in /var/log that have been modified in the last 7 days and are larger than 100MB. Which command should be used?
⚠ Common exam trap
XK0-006 often tests the sign convention in find time and size predicates — candidates frequently invert -mtime -7 and -mtime +7 or confuse -atime with -mtime.
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
✓
find /var/log -mtime -7 -size +100M
The find command with -mtime -7 matches files modified within the last 7 days (the minus sign means 'less than 7 days ago'), and -size +100M matches files larger than 100MB (the plus sign means 'greater than'). This combination precisely satisfies both conditions.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
find /var/log -mtime +7 -size +100M
Why it's wrong here
The +7 qualifier selects files modified more than seven days ago, the opposite of the requirement, so recent files are excluded entirely. It is tempting because -mtime is the correct primary predicate for modification time; the sign is simply inverted. A minus sign (-mtime -7) would correctly match files modified within the last seven days.
- ✗
find /var/log -atime -7 -size +100M
Why it's wrong here
-atime filters on access time, not modification time, so files read recently but unchanged would match while genuinely modified files could be missed. It is tempting because -atime shares find's time-test syntax and looks interchangeable. Where access auditing is the goal, -atime -7 is the right predicate; here -mtime -7 is required.
- ✓
find /var/log -mtime -7 -size +100M
Why this is correct
The `-mtime -7` predicate matches files modified within the last seven days, while `-size +100M` filters those exceeding 100MB, both applied to the `/var/log` path. Combining these tests with implicit AND logic satisfies the stem's dual constraints of recent modification and large size in a single traversal.
- ✗
find /var/log -mtime -7 -size -100M
Why it's wrong here
The -size -100M predicate matches files smaller than 100MB, directly contradicting the larger-than-100MB requirement, so results are inverted. It is tempting because the -mtime -7 half is correct and the syntax mirrors the intended command. The plus sign (-size +100M) selects files exceeding 100MB, which is what the scenario demands.
About these practice questions
This XK0-006 question is part of Courseiva's 781-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
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.