This LFCS practice question tests your understanding of service configuration. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.
A system administrator is debugging why a service named 'myapp.service' fails to start. He runs 'systemctl status myapp.service' and sees the status 'failed' with details 'Exit code: 1' and 'Failed with result exit-code'. Which command should be used next to view the full log of the service?
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.
journalctl -u myapp.service
This shows the full log for the service unit.
systemctl show myapp.service
Why wrong: This shows unit properties, not logs.
journalctl -x -u myapp.service
Why wrong: This also shows logs with explanations, but for full log, -u alone is sufficient.
systemctl list-dependencies myapp.service
Why wrong: This shows dependencies, not logs.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
journalctl -u myapp.service
The correct command is `journalctl -u myapp.service` because it retrieves the full systemd journal logs for the specified unit, showing detailed error messages, stdout/stderr output, and timestamps that explain why the service exited with code 1. The `-u` flag filters the journal to entries related to that specific service unit, which is essential for debugging exit-code failures.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
journalctl -u myapp.service
Why this is correct
This shows the full log for the service unit.
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.
systemctl show myapp.service
Why it's wrong here
This shows unit properties, not logs.
journalctl -x -u myapp.service
Why it's wrong here
This also shows logs with explanations, but for full log, -u alone is sufficient.
systemctl list-dependencies myapp.service
Why it's wrong here
This shows dependencies, not logs.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates may confuse `systemctl show` (which shows unit properties) with `journalctl` (which shows logs), or think that the `-x` flag in `journalctl` is required to see the full log when it only adds explanatory catalog messages, not the actual service output.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
This shows unit properties, not logs.
Detailed technical explanation
Systemd services log their stdout, stderr, and exit status to the journal, which is a binary log managed by `journald`. The `journalctl -u` command queries the journal for entries matching the unit name, including messages from the service process itself and from systemd about the unit state transitions (e.g., 'Started', 'Failed with result exit-code'). In real-world scenarios, the exit code 1 often indicates a misconfiguration in the service's ExecStart command or a missing dependency that causes the process to fail immediately, and the journal log will contain the specific error message (e.g., 'File not found' or 'Permission denied').
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A practitioner preparing for the LFCS 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
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FAQ
Service Configuration — This question tests Service Configuration — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: journalctl -u myapp.service — The correct command is `journalctl -u myapp.service` because it retrieves the full systemd journal logs for the specified unit, showing detailed error messages, stdout/stderr output, and timestamps that explain why the service exited with code 1. The `-u` flag filters the journal to entries related to that specific service unit, which is essential for debugging exit-code failures.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
This LFCS practice question is part of Courseiva's free Linux Foundation 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 LFCS exam.
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