This LFCS practice question tests your understanding of networking. 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 TWO commands can be used to display the routing table on a Linux system? (Choose two.)
route -n
Route command with -n shows numeric routes.
ip route
Ip route command displays the routing table.
ss -r
Why wrong: ss -r displays routing table? Actually ss does not have -r option. It shows sockets.
traceroute
Why wrong: Traceroute shows the path to a destination, not the routing table.
ping -R
Why wrong: Ping -R records route option but does not show the routing table.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
route -n
The `route -n` command displays the kernel IP routing table with numeric addresses, showing destination, gateway, netmask, and interface. The `ip route` command from the iproute2 suite shows the same routing table with more detail and is the modern replacement for `route`. Both are standard tools for viewing routing information on Linux.
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.
route -n
Why this is correct
Route command with -n shows numeric routes.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
ip route
Why this is correct
Ip route command displays the routing table.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
ss -r
Why it's wrong here
ss -r displays routing table? Actually ss does not have -r option. It shows sockets.
traceroute
Why it's wrong here
Traceroute shows the path to a destination, not the routing table.
ping -R
Why it's wrong here
Ping -R records route option but does not show the routing table.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates confuse `ss` with `route` or `ip` because `ss` is a socket statistics tool, and the `-r` option might be misread as 'route', but `ss -r` only resolves hostnames in its output and does not display routing information.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
ss -r displays routing table? Actually ss does not have -r option. It shows sockets.
Detailed technical explanation
The routing table is stored in the kernel's FIB (Forwarding Information Base) and is consulted for every outgoing packet. `route -n` reads `/proc/net/route` (for IPv4) and uses netlink sockets, while `ip route` uses the netlink protocol (RTNETLINK) to communicate directly with the kernel, supporting more advanced features like policy routing and multiple routing tables (RFC 1812). In real-world scenarios, `ip route` is preferred for scripting because its output is more consistent and machine-readable.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
What to study next
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FAQ
Networking — This question tests Networking — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: route -n — The `route -n` command displays the kernel IP routing table with numeric addresses, showing destination, gateway, netmask, and interface. The `ip route` command from the iproute2 suite shows the same routing table with more detail and is the modern replacement for `route`. Both are standard tools for viewing routing information on Linux.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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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