This LFCS practice question tests your understanding of storage management. 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.
Exhibit
NAME MAJ:MIN RM SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT
sda 8:0 0 100G 0 disk
├─sda1 8:1 0 1G 0 part /boot
├─sda2 8:2 0 50G 0 part /
└─sda3 8:3 0 49G 0 part
└─vg_data-lv_data (dm-0) 252:0 0 98G 0 lvm /data
sdb 8:16 0 20G 0 disk
└─sdb1 8:17 0 20G 0 part
└─vg_data-lv_backup (dm-1) 252:1 0 15G 0 lvm /backup
sdc 8:32 0 10G 0 disk
Refer to the exhibit. The administrator wants to extend the /data filesystem by an additional 10GB. The volume group vg_data has only 1GB of free physical extents. Which action should be taken first?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "first"
Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Add /dev/sdc as a physical volume and extend vg_data.
The /data filesystem needs an additional 10GB, but vg_data has only 1GB of free physical extents. To extend the logical volume, the volume group must have sufficient free physical extents. Adding /dev/sdc as a physical volume and extending vg_data increases the pool of physical extents, making the required space available. This is the correct first step because you cannot extend a logical volume beyond the available free extents in its volume group.
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.
✗
Delete the /backup logical volume to free space.
Why it's wrong here
Destructive and unnecessary.
✓
Add /dev/sdc as a physical volume and extend vg_data.
Why this is correct
Correct first step.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Reduce the size of /backup to free space in vg_data.
Why it's wrong here
Could work but not first choice; may not free enough.
✗
Create a new logical volume from the free space in vg_data.
Why it's wrong here
Free space insufficient.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Linux Foundation often tests the misconception that you can extend a logical volume without first ensuring the volume group has enough free physical extents, leading candidates to choose options that attempt to manipulate existing volumes (like shrinking or deleting) instead of adding new storage capacity.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In LVM, a volume group (VG) is a pool of physical extents (PEs) from one or more physical volumes (PVs). To extend a logical volume (LV), the VG must have enough free PEs. Adding a new PV (e.g., /dev/sdc) with `pvcreate` and then extending the VG with `vgextend` increases the total PEs. After that, `lvextend -L +10G /dev/vg_data/data` and then resizing the filesystem (e.g., `resize2fs` for ext4 or `xfs_growfs` for XFS) completes the operation. A real-world scenario is when a disk is nearly full and you add a new disk to the VG without disrupting existing volumes.
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 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
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.
Storage Management — This question tests Storage Management — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Add /dev/sdc as a physical volume and extend vg_data. — The /data filesystem needs an additional 10GB, but vg_data has only 1GB of free physical extents. To extend the logical volume, the volume group must have sufficient free physical extents. Adding /dev/sdc as a physical volume and extending vg_data increases the pool of physical extents, making the required space available. This is the correct first step because you cannot extend a logical volume beyond the available free extents in its volume group.
What should I do if I get this LFCS 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: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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