Question 923 of 981

System Management →easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

XK0-005 System Management Practice Question

This XK0-005 practice question tests your understanding of system management. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.

Which command displays the disk usage of files and directories in a human-readable format (e.g., KB, MB)?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "which command"
Why it matters: Tests specific CLI syntax. Recall the exact command and its required context — near-synonyms and partial matches are common distractors.

A
df -h
Why wrong: df -h shows filesystem disk space usage, not file/directory usage.
B
ls -lh
Why wrong: ls -lh lists file sizes but does not aggregate directory usage.
C
stat -h
Why wrong: stat does not have a -h option for human-readable; it shows detailed metadata.
D
du -h
du -h shows disk usage of files/directories with human-readable sizes.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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 -h

The `du -h` command (disk usage with human-readable flag) recursively summarizes disk usage for files and directories, appending size suffixes like K, M, G for kilobytes, megabytes, and gigabytes. This directly matches the question's requirement to display disk usage in a human-readable format.

Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

✗
df -h
Why it's wrong here
df -h shows filesystem disk space usage, not file/directory usage.
✗
ls -lh
Why it's wrong here
ls -lh lists file sizes but does not aggregate directory usage.
✗
stat -h
Why it's wrong here
stat does not have a -h option for human-readable; it shows detailed metadata.
✓
du -h
Why this is correct
du -h shows disk usage of files/directories with human-readable sizes.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "which command" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates confuse `df -h` (filesystem-level free space) with `du -h` (per-file/directory disk usage), or assume `ls -lh` shows disk usage when it actually shows logical file size, not the blocks consumed on disk.

Trap categories for this question

Command / output trap
df -h shows filesystem disk space usage, not file/directory usage.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Under the hood, `du` reads the directory tree via `stat()` or `fstatat()` system calls to sum the `st_blocks` field (each block is typically 512 bytes), then converts to human-readable units with `-h`. A subtle behavior: `du` reports disk usage, not file size, so a sparse file may show less disk usage than its apparent size, which can confuse administrators comparing `ls -lh` output with `du -h` results.

KKey Concepts to Remember

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.

TExam Day Tips

Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.

Key takeaway

Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.

Real-world example

How this comes up in practice

A practitioner preparing for the XK0-005 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this XK0-005 question test?

System Management — This question tests System Management — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: du -h — The `du -h` command (disk usage with human-readable flag) recursively summarizes disk usage for files and directories, appending size suffixes like K, M, G for kilobytes, megabytes, and gigabytes. This directly matches the question's requirement to display disk usage in a human-readable format.

What should I do if I get this XK0-005 question wrong?

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "which command". Tests specific CLI syntax. Recall the exact command and its required context — near-synonyms and partial matches are common distractors.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026

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This XK0-005 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 XK0-005 exam.