This LPIC-1 practice question tests your understanding of essential system services and networking. 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 small office has a network printer with IP 192.168.1.100. The printer is shared via CUPS. A user reports that they cannot print a document from their workstation. The printer appears in the list of available printers, but when they try to print, the job hangs in the queue with status 'processing'. The administrator suspects the printer may be offline or the CUPS service is not running. Which command should the administrator run first to gather diagnostic information about the printer and its queue?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "first"
Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Clue: "which command"
Why it matters: Tests specific CLI syntax. Recall the exact command and its required context — near-synonyms and partial matches are common distractors.
ping 192.168.1.100
Why wrong: Ping only checks network reachability, not CUPS service or queue status.
lpstat -t
lpstat -t shows printer status, queue, and error information for diagnosis.
lpadmin -p printer -E
Why wrong: This enables the printer but does not show current status; it may already be enabled.
systemctl restart cups
Why wrong: Restarting the service may lose queued jobs and does not help diagnose the cause.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
lpstat -t
lpstat -t provides a comprehensive overview of printer status, including whether the printer is accepting jobs, the queue state, and any error messages. Restarting cups could disrupt print jobs. Ping only tests network connectivity but not CUPS functionality. Re-adding the printer is unnecessary without first diagnosing the issue.
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.
ping 192.168.1.100
Why it's wrong here
Ping only checks network reachability, not CUPS service or queue status.
lpstat -t
Why this is correct
lpstat -t shows printer status, queue, and error information for diagnosis.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "first", "which command" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
lpadmin -p printer -E
Why it's wrong here
This enables the printer but does not show current status; it may already be enabled.
systemctl restart cups
Why it's wrong here
Restarting the service may lose queued jobs and does not help diagnose the cause.
Common exam traps
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
This enables the printer but does not show current status; it may already be enabled.
Detailed technical explanation
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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
Identify which LPIC-1 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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FAQ
Essential System Services and Networking — This question tests Essential System Services and Networking — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: lpstat -t — lpstat -t provides a comprehensive overview of printer status, including whether the printer is accepting jobs, the queue state, and any error messages. Restarting cups could disrupt print jobs. Ping only tests network connectivity but not CUPS functionality. Re-adding the printer is unnecessary without first diagnosing the issue.
Identify which LPIC-1 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Yes — watch for: "first", "which command". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 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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