LFCS Networking Practice Question
An administrator is troubleshooting DNS resolution and wants to query the SOA record for a domain. Which three commands can be used? (Choose three.)
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse `getent hosts` with DNS lookup tools, not realizing it bypasses DNS resolution and only checks local name resolution sources.
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
✓
nslookup -type=soa example.com
The `nslookup -type=soa` command queries the DNS for the Start of Authority (SOA) record of a domain. The `-type=soa` flag explicitly sets the query type to SOA, which returns authoritative information about the zone, including the primary name server and administrator email.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
nslookup -type=soa example.com
Why this is correct
nslookup can query SOA records.
- ✓
host -t SOA example.com
Why this is correct
host can query any record type.
- ✓
dig example.com SOA
Why this is correct
dig is a flexible DNS tool.
- ✗
nmcli dev show
Why it's wrong here
nmcli shows device and connection info, not DNS records.
- ✗
getent hosts example.com
Why it's wrong here
getent queries /etc/hosts, not DNS.
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About these practice questions
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JA
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.