010-160 Security And File Permissions Practice Question
A user complains they cannot read a file. The file has permissions 640 and is owned by root, but the user is in the group that owns the file. Why can't they read it?
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
✓
The user lacks execute permission on a parent directory.
640 means (rw-r-----). The group has read permissions (r), so if they are in the group, they should have access. If they still cannot read, it might be due to a parent directory restriction.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The umask is set to 077.
Why it's wrong here
Umask only affects newly created files.
- ✓
The user lacks execute permission on a parent directory.
Why this is correct
To access any file, the user must have execute permissions on every parent directory in the path.
- ✗
The user is not the owner.
Why it's wrong here
Group permissions allow access for group members.
- ✗
The file is locked by root.
Why it's wrong here
640 does not mean locked.
About these practice questions
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed August 2026 · checked against the official LPI exam blueprint
This 010-160 practice question is part of Courseiva's free LPI 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 010-160 exam.