XK0-006 Troubleshooting Practice Question
An administrator needs to check the current routing table on a Linux system. Which command should be used?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse `ip neigh` (which shows ARP entries) with `ip route` (which shows the routing table), as both involve network path information but serve entirely different layers of the network stack.
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
✓
ip route
The `ip route` command displays the kernel routing table, showing the paths that packets take to reach network destinations. This is the standard tool on modern Linux systems for viewing and manipulating routing entries, replacing the older `route -n` command.
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 -t A
Why it's wrong here
dig -t A queries DNS A records, returning name-to-address resolution data, not kernel routing entries. It is tempting because it is the standard network troubleshooting tool, and would be correct when verifying that a hostname resolves to the expected IP address.
- ✗
ss -r
Why it's wrong here
ss -r dumps socket routing information for established connections, not the kernel forwarding table; no destination, gateway or metric columns appear. It is tempting because ss replaces netstat for socket inspection, and would be correct when listing listening ports and their owning processes.
- ✗
ip neigh
Why it's wrong here
ip neigh shows the ARP/neighbour cache mapping IP addresses to link-layer MAC addresses, not routes. It is tempting because it sits in the same iproute2 suite as ip route, and would be correct when diagnosing layer-2 reachability or stale ARP entries on a subnet.
- ✓
ip route
Why this is correct
ip route queries the kernel's routing table through the modern iproute2 suite, listing destination networks, gateways and egress interfaces. It replaces the deprecated route command and satisfies the requirement to inspect current routing entries on the system.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Linux Fundamentals and History
Key term
Kernel
The kernel is the core program of an operating system that manages hardware resources and provides essential services for all other software to run.
Key term
Linux
Linux is an open-source operating system that manages computer hardware and software, widely used in servers, desktops, and embedded systems.
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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.