easyMultiple Choice
XK0-006 Practice Question: Which command will create a compressed tar…
Which command will create a compressed tar archive of a directory?
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA often tests the distinction between create (`-c`), extract (`-x`), and list (`-t`) flags, and the requirement of `-z` for gzip compression, causing candidates to confuse `-czf` with `-xzf` or omit `-z` entirely.
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
✓
tar -czf archive.tar.gz dir
The `-czf` flags combine `-c` (create archive), `-z` (compress with gzip), and `-f` (specify archive file name). This creates a compressed tar archive of the specified directory, outputting a `.tar.gz` file. The command `tar -czf archive.tar.gz dir` is the standard syntax for this operation.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
tar -czf archive.tar.gz dir
Why this is correct
The -c flag creates the archive, -z pipes it through gzip for compression, and -f specifies the archive filename, so tar -czf archive.tar.gz dir compresses the whole directory into one gzip archive. Omitting -z would produce an uncompressed tar, failing the compression requirement.
- ✗
tar -xzf archive.tar.gz
Why it's wrong here
The -x flag extracts an existing archive rather than creating one, and -z expects gzip-compressed input. It tempts because it is the canonical command for unpacking a .tar.gz file, but the stem asks for archive creation, which requires -c with a compression option.
- ✗
tar -cf archive.tar dir
Why it's wrong here
The -cf flags create an uncompressed archive; no compression option (z, j or J) is present, so the output is a plain tar file. It tempts because -c correctly creates and -f names the archive, but the question requires compression, which this invocation omits.
- ✗
tar -tf archive.tar
Why it's wrong here
The -t flag lists an archive's contents without extracting or creating anything, so no archive is produced. It tempts because it is the standard way to inspect a tar file before extraction, but the stem asks for creation of a compressed archive, which requires -c plus a compression flag.
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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.