010-160 · domain
Finding Your Way ON A Linux System
This domain covers core command-line navigation and file inspection on Linux: moving around the filesystem, reading text files, and understanding paths and file metadata. Questions are scenario-based, asking you to pick the correct command or shell operator for a stated goal, such as appending output, viewing a log's tail, or listing file details.
Focused practice
Practice Finding Your Way ON A Linux System questions
Scored sessions drawing only from this domain — pick a length below.
Start 20-question practice test →What this domain covers
What to know about Finding Your Way ON A Linux System
You must be able to navigate directories and inspect files from the shell, choosing the right command and operator for each task. The single most important thing is knowing redirection: use >> to append and > to overwrite, and pick tail or grep to read log portions.
Using shell redirection operators like >> to append output without overwriting a file
Reading portions of files with head, tail, less, and grep for log analysis
Creating empty files or refreshing timestamps with the touch command
Inspecting file type and permissions via ls -l and the file command
Watch out for
Common Finding Your Way ON A Linux System exam traps
- ▸Confusing > with >>: a single > truncates and overwrites the target file, while >> appends to existing content.
- ▸Assuming ls alone shows file type; plain ls omits permissions and type, so candidates must add -l or use file.
- ▸Mixing up head and tail when asked for the beginning versus the end of a large log file.
Question index
All Finding Your Way ON A Linux System questions (65)
Click any question to see the full explanation, or start a practice session above.
To navigate from your current directory to your home directory regardless of your current location, which command is most efficient?
Easy2You are searching for a command that deals with 'groups' and want to see all manual pages that mention this term. Which command is most appropriate?
Hard3What does the 'cat' command do when provided with multiple filenames as arguments?
Medium4Which THREE of the following commands are used for file manipulation?
Hard5You need to see the last 20 lines of a file named 'access.log'. Which command is the most appropriate?
Hard6You want to delete a file but you are worried about accidentally deleting the wrong one. Which flag should you use with 'rm' for confirmation?
Medium7Which TWO of the following are valid ways to search for files?
Hard8A user needs to view the first few lines of a large log file to confirm its format before processing it. Which command displays the beginning of the file by default?
Hard9A support technician must read a very large log file, /var/log/messages, and only wants the portion that begins with the line containing the timestamp 'Mar 14 09:15' and continues to the end of the file. Which command should the technician run?
Medium10A new user wants to display the contents of the file /etc/hostname on the terminal. Which command will print the file's contents to standard output?
Easy11A user wants to create a symbolic link named latest.conf in the current directory that points to /etc/app/versions/v2.conf. Which command creates this link correctly?
Hard12A Linux administrator is working in a directory with many files and wants to identify files by their type and permissions without opening them. Which TWO commands can provide this information? (Choose two.)
Hard13Which TWO of the following commands can be used to display the contents of a text file?
Easy14When using the 'man' command, how do you navigate to the next page of the manual entry?
Medium15Which THREE of the following represent ways to refer to the home directory?
Medium16A user is in /home/bob and wants to copy the file notes.txt from /data/reports into the current directory, keeping the same filename. Which command performs this operation?
Hard17You want to delete a directory named 'temp_backup' that contains several files. Which command will successfully remove it and its contents?
Medium18A user wants to see the manual page for the 'passwd' command, but is unsure which section contains the command documentation. Which command displays the manual page for 'passwd' from section 1?
Easy19How do you rename a file named 'oldname' to 'newname' using the command line?
Medium20Which command is used to clear the terminal screen?
Easy21Which shell variable typically contains the directories searched for command executables?
Easy22You need to move a file named 'data.txt' from the current directory to '/var/logs' but want to be prompted if a file with the same name already exists in the destination. Which option should you add to 'mv'?
Hard23You are in the directory '/home/alex/projects' and want to switch to the parent directory of your current location using a relative path. Which command accomplishes this?
Medium24Which TWO of the following are valid ways to get help on a Linux system?
Easy25Which TWO of the following commands help you move within the directory structure?
Medium26Which THREE of the following commands are used for viewing file metadata or status?
Medium27A user named alice is working in /home/alice/projects and wants to navigate to the parent directory of her current location. Which command should she execute?
Easy28Which THREE of the following are components of a standard Linux file path?
Easy29A user is in '/var/log' and wants to copy the file 'app.log' to '/tmp/archive' while preserving its original permissions, ownership, and timestamps. Which command accomplishes this?
Medium30You are browsing a directory and need to see hidden files alongside regular files. Which command achieves this?
Easy31A junior administrator is troubleshooting a script and needs to know the exact location of the executable that runs when the command 'grep' is typed, without executing it. Which command should be used?
Medium32You have created a script but it is not executable. Which command should you use to give the owner execute permissions?
Medium33You need to append the output of a command to an existing file without overwriting it. Which operator should you use?
Medium34An operator is at a prompt and types cd - after having earlier changed from /etc/nginx to /var/www/html. What is the effect of that command?
Hard35You want to create a symbolic link named 'link_to_file' that points to 'original_file'. Which command is correct?
Hard36What is the purpose of the '..' notation in a file path?
Medium37A technician is examining files in /var/tmp and needs to identify which entries are directories rather than regular files. Which two commands can provide this information? (Choose two.)
Medium38What is the purpose of the 'tee' command?
Medium39A user runs `pwd` and sees `/home/alex/projects`. They then run `cd ../reports` and `pwd` again. What is the second `pwd` output?
Hard40Which command provides a brief summary of what a specific command does without opening the entire man page?
Easy41A technician needs to locate every file under '/usr/share' whose name ends with '.conf'. Which command produces this list by searching the directory tree?
Medium42While exploring a system, an administrator runs `ls -a` inside a directory and sees entries named `.` and `..` in addition to regular files. What do these two entries represent?
Medium43A technician needs to locate all files under /var that are larger than 100 MB and were modified more than 30 days ago. Which command will produce this list?
Hard44You are using the 'less' command to view a large log file. Which key do you press to search forward for a specific string?
Medium45Which TWO of the following are valid ways to create a directory?
Hard46A user has a file named notes.txt in /home/alex and wants to create a copy named notes_backup.txt in the same directory without altering the original. Which command accomplishes this?
Easy47A junior administrator is at a shell prompt in /home/alex and wants to see a compact, one-line-per-entry listing that includes hidden files along with their permissions and sizes. Which command accomplishes this?
Easy48When using 'man', what does the section number '5' refer to?
Medium49A junior administrator is logged into a Linux server and needs to view the contents of the file '/etc/hosts' without opening an editor. Which command should they run?
Easy50An administrator is reviewing how pathnames are resolved on a Linux system and wants to identify statements that correctly describe absolute and relative paths. (Choose two.)
Hard51An administrator wants to create a hard link named 'report_link' to an existing file '/data/report.txt' on the same filesystem. Which command creates this hard link?
Hard52You need to search for a specific command description within the manual pages using a keyword. Which command should you use?
Medium53Which of the following commands is used to create an empty file or update the timestamp of an existing file?
Easy54A junior administrator opens a terminal in their home directory and runs the command `cd /var/log` followed by `cd ..`. Which directory are they now in?
Easy55A technician needs to inspect a configuration file located at `/etc/example/app.conf` without changing the current working directory, and they want the shell prompt to keep showing their present location afterward. Which command accomplishes this?
Medium56You are currently in '/home/user/docs' and need to move to '/etc'. Which command is correct?
Medium57Which THREE of the following are types of manual page sections?
Hard58A junior administrator needs to display the full contents of /etc/hostname and also see line numbers next to each line. Which command accomplishes this?
Medium59You are copying a directory named 'source' to 'destination' and want to ensure all subdirectories and file attributes are preserved. Which flag is essential?
Medium60You are logged into a terminal and want to identify your current working directory. Which command should you execute?
Easy61To see the contents of a directory, which command is standard?
Easy62A developer working in /srv/project wants to create a symbolic link named latest that points to the file releases/v2.1/app.tar.gz, keeping the link inside /srv/project. Which command creates this link correctly?
Medium63Which TWO of the following options can be used with 'rm' to ensure safe operation?
Medium64What is the primary difference between 'man' pages and 'info' pages?
Easy65Which THREE of the following are valid directory navigation commands?
MediumOther domains
All 010-160 exam domains
Frequently asked questions
- What does the Finding Your Way ON A Linux System domain cover on the 010-160 exam?
- You must be able to navigate directories and inspect files from the shell, choosing the right command and operator for each task. The single most important thing is knowing redirection: use >> to append and > to overwrite, and pick tail or grep to read log portions.
- How many questions are in this domain?
- This page lists all 65 Finding Your Way ON A Linux System questions in the 010-160 question bank. The actual exam draws from this domain proportionally to its weighting in the official exam blueprint.
- What is the best way to practise this domain?
- Start with a short focused session (10 questions) to identify gaps, then work through explanations. Repeat with a longer session once the weak areas feel solid.
- Can I practise only Finding Your Way ON A Linux System questions?
- Yes — the session launcher on this page filters questions to this domain only. Choose any session length for inline explanations and scoring.