XK0-006 Troubleshooting Practice Question
An administrator is troubleshooting a DNS issue and needs to query the authoritative name servers for example.com. Which dig command should be used?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is confusing record types — candidates may pick ANY thinking it returns everything, but ANY is unreliable and not the targeted way to query authoritative name servers.
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
✓
dig example.com NS
The NS (Name Server) record type identifies the authoritative name servers for a domain. Running 'dig example.com NS' queries those NS records directly, showing which servers are authoritative for example.com. This is the correct query to enumerate authoritative name servers.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
dig example.com MX
Why it's wrong here
The MX query retrieves mail exchanger records, not the authoritative name servers; NS records are needed. It is tempting because MX is a valid dig record type, and would be correct when verifying which hosts accept email for example.com.
- ✓
dig example.com NS
Why this is correct
The NS record type queries the zone's authoritative name servers, so dig example.com NS returns exactly the delegation data required. Other record types such as A or MX would resolve addresses or mail routing instead, failing the stated troubleshooting goal.
- ✗
dig example.com A
Why it's wrong here
An A query returns only the IPv4 address of example.com, not the NS records identifying its authoritative name servers. It is tempting because A records are the everyday lookup, and this is the correct choice when you need to resolve a hostname to an address rather than find zone authority.
- ✗
dig example.com ANY
Why it's wrong here
ANY is often not supported or returns many records.
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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.