LFCS Networking Practice Question
Which TWO commands can be used to display the routing table on a Linux system? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often 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.
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
✓
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.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
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.
- ✓
ip route
Why this is correct
Ip route command displays the routing table.
- ✗
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.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 507 original LFCS practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.