LPIC-1 Devices, Filesystems and FHS Practice Question
A technician is repairing a system and needs to mount the root filesystem from a different disk to /mnt/sysroot. The partition is /dev/sda2 with an ext4 filesystem. Which command should be used?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse the `-o loop` option with mounting a partition, or assume that `-t ext4` is always required, when in fact `mount` auto-detects the filesystem type for common formats like ext4.
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
✓
mount /dev/sda2 /mnt/sysroot
The `mount` command with the device and mount point as arguments automatically detects the filesystem type (e.g., ext4) and mounts the partition at the specified directory. This is the standard way to mount a root filesystem from a different disk for repair purposes.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
mount -o loop /dev/sda2 /mnt/sysroot
Why it's wrong here
The -o loop option is for mounting image files, not block devices.
- ✗
mount -a
Why it's wrong here
mount -a mounts all filesystems listed in /etc/fstab, not a specific device to a custom mount point.
- ✗
mount -t ext4 /dev/sda2 /mnt
Why it's wrong here
Mount point /mnt is incorrect; should be /mnt/sysroot. Also specifying type is unnecessary but not wrong, but the mount point is wrong.
- ✓
mount /dev/sda2 /mnt/sysroot
Why this is correct
This correctly mounts the device to the specified mount point, auto-detecting the filesystem type.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.