XK0-006 System Management Practice Question
An administrator wants to gather information about disk usage for a specific directory and its subdirectories. Which TWO commands can be used for this purpose? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
XK0-006 often tests the du vs df distinction — candidates pick df because it also reports 'disk usage,' missing that df is filesystem-level and du is directory-level.
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
✓
du -sh /path
Du reports disk usage for the specified directory and, by default, recurses into its subdirectories, while -s summarizes the total into a single figure and -h presents it in human-readable units. Option D (du -h /path) is also correct because du -h /path likewise walks the directory tree and prints the disk usage of the directory and each subdirectory in human-readable form, satisfying the requirement to gather usage information for the directory and its subdirectories. Option B (df -h /path) is not correct because df reports filesystem-level free and used space for the mount point containing the path, not per-directory or per-subdirectory usage. Option C (ls -lh /path) is not correct because ls only lists file and directory entries with their sizes, without recursively totaling the disk usage of subdirectory contents. Option E (stat /path) is not correct because stat displays metadata such as inode, permissions, and timestamps for a single file or directory, not aggregated disk usage across a directory tree.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
du -sh /path
Why this is correct
The -s flag collapses output to a single summary total for the directory, while -h renders sizes in human-readable units. Together they report total disk usage for /path and everything beneath it, satisfying the requirement to gather usage across the directory and its subdirectories.
- ✗
df -h /path
Why it's wrong here
df shows filesystem usage, not directory usage.
- ✗
ls -lh /path
Why it's wrong here
ls -lh lists immediate directory entries with human-readable sizes; it does not recurse into subdirectories or aggregate their consumption. It is tempting because it shows sizes per path, and would be correct for a quick listing of one directory's contents, not cumulative usage across a tree.
- ✓
du -h /path
Why this is correct
Without -s, du recurses through /path and prints a human-readable line for every subdirectory, giving the per-directory breakdown the task requires. The -h flag converts blocks to KB, MB and GB, satisfying the human-readable reporting need while covering all subdirectories.
- ✗
stat /path
Why it's wrong here
stat returns metadata for a single file or directory inode — size, timestamps, permissions — without recursing into subdirectories or summing their usage. It is tempting as a per-path inspection tool, and would be correct for reading one file's attributes, not directory-tree totals.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Managing Storage and File Systems
Key term
Mount
Mounting is the process of making a file system or storage device accessible to a computer's operating system by attaching it to a specific directory in the existing directory tree.
Key term
inode
An inode is a data structure in a Unix-like file system that stores metadata about a file, such as its size, permissions, and location on disk, but not its name.
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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.