LFCS Essential Commands Practice Question
A user wants to find all files in /var/log that have been modified within the last 2 days. Which command should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse the meaning of the plus (+) and minus (-) signs with `-mtime`, mistakenly thinking `+2` means 'within the last 2 days' or that `-mtime 2` (without sign) means 'within 2 days', when in fact the signs control the direction of the time comparison.
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
✓
find /var/log -mtime -2
The `find` command with `-mtime -2` searches for files whose content was last modified less than 2 days ago (i.e., within the last 48 hours). The minus sign before the number indicates 'less than' or 'within the last N days', which matches the user's requirement to find files modified within the last 2 days.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
find /var/log -mtime -2
Why this is correct
Correct. The `-mtime -2` option finds files modified less than 2 days ago (within the last 48 hours), matching the requirement exactly.
- ✗
find /var/log -mmin -2880
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Although `-mmin -2880` technically finds files modified within the last 2880 minutes (2 days), the standard and expected command for day-based queries is `-mtime -2`. Using `-mmin` for day intervals is non-standard and may not be available on all systems, so it is not the best answer.
- ✗
find /var/log -mtime +2
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. `-mtime +2` finds files modified more than 2 days ago (i.e., older than 2 days), not within the last 2 days.
- ✗
find /var/log -mtime 2
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. `-mtime 2` finds files modified exactly 2 days ago, without a range, so it does not include files modified within the last 2 days.
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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.