mediumMultiple Choice
XK0-006 Practice Question: A system is experiencing high CPU usage due to a…
A system is experiencing high CPU usage due to a background process with PID 2345. The administrator wants to reduce the process's priority by 5 without stopping it. Which command should be used?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse the sign of the nice value: candidates often think a negative number reduces priority, but in Linux, a higher nice value (positive adjustment) actually lowers priority, while a negative adjustment increases it.
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
✓
renice -n +5 -p 2345
The correct command is `renice -n +5 -p 2345` because `renice` adjusts the scheduling priority of a running process. A positive niceness value (+5) lowers the priority (makes the process 'nicer' to others), which reduces CPU usage. The `-n` flag specifies the adjustment value, and `-p` identifies the process by PID. This matches the requirement to reduce priority by 5 without stopping the process.
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 -STOP 2345
Why it's wrong here
kill -STOP suspends PID 2345 entirely, halting its execution rather than lowering its scheduling priority, so CPU contention is not resolved by deprioritisation. Suspending a process is correct when it must be paused and later resumed with SIGCONT, for example during maintenance or troubleshooting.
- ✗
renice -n -5 -p 2345
Why it's wrong here
renice -n -5 raises priority, since negative nice values increase scheduling precedence; reducing priority by 5 requires a positive value such as +5. The renice command is the right tool for altering a running process's nice value, so it would be correct if the administrator wanted to elevate, not lower, the process's scheduling priority.
- ✗
kill -9 2345
Why it's wrong here
kill -9 sends SIGKILL, terminating PID 2345 immediately, so the process cannot continue running at a lower priority. It is tempting because kill -9 forcibly clears runaway or unresponsive processes, which would be correct if the requirement were to stop the offending process outright rather than merely reduce its CPU share.
- ✓
renice -n +5 -p 2345
Why this is correct
renice -n +5 -p 2345 raises PID 2345's nice value by 5, lowering its CPU scheduling priority without terminating it. The +5 increment and -p PID targeting match the requirement to reduce priority by 5 while keeping the process running.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Process Management and System Monitoring
Key term
Process
In IT service management, a process is a structured set of activities designed to accomplish a specific objective, such as managing incidents or changes, by transforming inputs into defined outputs.
Key term
Value
Value is the perceived worth, benefit, or usefulness that a service, product, or activity delivers to stakeholders, especially customers and the business.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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