LFCS Essential Commands Practice Question
A junior administrator needs to display the first 10 lines of a file named 'data.csv'. Which command should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse `head` with `tail` or `less`, thinking any command that displays file content can be used, but the exam specifically tests knowledge of the default behavior of each command for displaying the first lines of a file.
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
✓
head data.csv
The `head` command is specifically designed to display the first 10 lines of a file by default. Running `head data.csv` will output the first 10 lines of the CSV file, making it the correct choice for this task.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
head data.csv
Why this is correct
Correctly displays first 10 lines.
- ✗
less data.csv
Why it's wrong here
Opens file in interactive viewer showing entire content.
- ✗
tail data.csv
Why it's wrong here
Displays last 10 lines.
- ✗
cat data.csv
Why it's wrong here
Displays entire file.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.