hardMultiple SelectObjective-mapped
XK0-006 Practice Question: An administrator is troubleshooting a slow system
An administrator is troubleshooting a slow system. Which two commands can be used to identify processes consuming excessive CPU or memory? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA often tests the distinction between system-level resource commands (like `free`, `df`, `iostat`) and process-level monitoring commands (`ps`, `top`), leading candidates to choose commands that show overall usage rather than per-process details.
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
✓
ps aux --sort=-%mem
`ps aux --sort=-%mem` lists all processes with their memory usage, sorted by memory consumption in descending order, making it easy to identify processes consuming excessive memory. Option E is correct because `top` provides a real-time, dynamic view of system processes, including CPU and memory usage, and allows sorting by these metrics interactively.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
free -m
Why it's wrong here
free shows memory usage but not per-process.
- ✗
iostat -x
Why it's wrong here
iostat shows CPU and I/O statistics, not per-process.
- ✓
ps aux --sort=-%mem
Why this is correct
ps with sorting shows processes by memory usage.
- ✗
df -h
Why it's wrong here
df shows disk space usage.
- ✓
top
Why this is correct
top displays processes sorted by CPU or memory usage.
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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.