LPIC-1 Shells, Scripting and Data Management Practice Question
This LPIC-1 practice question tests your understanding of shells, scripting and data management. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A helpdesk technician receives a call about a user who is unable to run a script that was working yesterday. The user says they only changed the ownership of a file in their home directory. The script is located in /usr/local/bin and is owned by root:root. The script has permissions 755. Which of the following is the most likely cause of the issue?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The user changed the ownership of one of the script's input files, making it unreadable.
Option D is correct because the script itself is owned by root:root with 755 permissions, meaning it is executable by everyone. However, if the user changed the ownership of an input file that the script reads, that file may now be owned by the user but with permissions that prevent the script (running as the user) from reading it, or the script may require specific ownership to access the file. Since the script was working yesterday and the only change was ownership of a file in the home directory, the most likely cause is that the script's input file is now unreadable or inaccessible due to the ownership change.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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 user changed the ownership of the /usr/local/bin directory.
Why it's wrong here
Changing ownership of a system directory requires root privileges.
✗
The script requires root privileges to run.
Why it's wrong here
Script permissions are 755, so it runs as the user; requiring root would have caused issues before.
✗
The user accidentally changed the ownership of the script file.
Why it's wrong here
The user cannot change ownership of /usr/local/bin/script without root privileges.
✓
The user changed the ownership of one of the script's input files, making it unreadable.
Why this is correct
If an input file's ownership changed to another user, the current user may lose read access.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume the script itself must be the problem because it's in /usr/local/bin, but the question explicitly states the user only changed ownership of a file in their home directory, so the issue must be with a file the script depends on, not the script itself.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
When a script reads an input file, the script runs with the effective UID of the user executing it, so the script's ability to read that file depends on the file's permissions and ownership. If the user changes the ownership of an input file to themselves, the file's group or other permissions may not allow the script (running as the user) to read it, especially if the file was previously owned by a different user or group with appropriate read permissions. In real-world scenarios, this often happens when a script expects a configuration or data file to be owned by a specific service account or group, and a user accidentally chowns it to their own account, breaking access.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A junior network technician can log in to a core router but cannot reach the enable prompt or configuration mode. The AAA server is authenticating the login — but the authorisation policy only grants privilege level 1, not 15. Authentication (who you are) is working; authorisation (what you can do) is not.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Shells, Scripting and Data Management — This question tests Shells, Scripting and Data Management — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The user changed the ownership of one of the script's input files, making it unreadable. — Option D is correct because the script itself is owned by root:root with 755 permissions, meaning it is executable by everyone. However, if the user changed the ownership of an input file that the script reads, that file may now be owned by the user but with permissions that prevent the script (running as the user) from reading it, or the script may require specific ownership to access the file. Since the script was working yesterday and the only change was ownership of a file in the home directory, the most likely cause is that the script's input file is now unreadable or inaccessible due to the ownership change.
What should I do if I get this LPIC-1 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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