Quick Answer
The answer is equal to the number of words in the file. This is because the command substitution $(cat file.txt) expands the file’s content into a single string, and the for loop performs word splitting on that string using whitespace as the delimiter, iterating once per resulting word rather than per line. On the LPIC-1 exam, this tests your understanding of how Bash handles command substitution and word splitting in loop constructs, a common pitfall where candidates mistakenly assume the loop counts lines. A frequent trap is forgetting that unquoted expansions trigger word splitting and pathname expansion, so the loop’s iteration count depends entirely on the number of whitespace-separated tokens. To remember this, think: “For loops split words, not lines—quote your expansions to preserve the original structure.”
This LPIC-1 practice question tests your understanding of shells, scripting and data management. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 script contains the following line: for i in $(cat file.txt); do echo $i; done. The file file.txt contains a single line with multiple words. How many times will the loop execute?
Equal to the number of lines in the file
Why wrong: The file has one line but multiple words.
Equal to the number of words in the file
The command substitution splits into words.
Once
Why wrong: The loop iterates over each word, not the whole line.
The loop will not execute
Why wrong: The loop will execute for each word.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Equal to the number of words in the file
The command substitution $(cat file.txt) expands to the content of file.txt, which is a single line with multiple words. The for loop iterates over each word (separated by whitespace) in the expanded string, not over lines. Therefore, the loop executes once per word in the file.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Equal to the number of lines in the file
Why it's wrong here
The file has one line but multiple words.
Equal to the number of words in the file
Why this is correct
The command substitution splits into words.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Once
Why it's wrong here
The loop iterates over each word, not the whole line.
The loop will not execute
Why it's wrong here
The loop will execute for each word.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often assume $(cat file.txt) preserves line boundaries, but the for loop splits the output by whitespace, so the number of iterations equals the number of words, not lines.
Detailed technical explanation
The shell's default IFS (Internal Field Separator) includes space, tab, and newline, so $(cat file.txt) splits the entire file content by these characters. If the file had multiple lines, each line would also be a separate word, but here the single line yields multiple words. A common pitfall is forgetting that for loops in bash iterate over words, not lines, unless IFS is set to newline only (e.g., IFS=$'\n'). In real-world scripting, this behavior can cause unexpected results when filenames or data contain spaces.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A practitioner preparing for the LPIC-1 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
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FAQ
Shells, Scripting and Data Management — This question tests Shells, Scripting and Data Management — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Equal to the number of words in the file — The command substitution $(cat file.txt) expands to the content of file.txt, which is a single line with multiple words. The for loop iterates over each word (separated by whitespace) in the expanded string, not over lines. Therefore, the loop executes once per word in the file.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This LPIC-1 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 LPIC-1 exam.
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