LPIC-1 Administrative Tasks Practice Question
A user reports that a cron job is not executing. The cron job is defined in /etc/crontab. The administrator checks the system logs and finds no errors. Which command should the administrator use to verify that the cron daemon is running?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to choose `systemctl status cron` assuming all Linux systems use systemd, or `ps aux | grep cron` without realizing it can produce false matches, while `pgrep cron` is the most portable and precise command for checking if a process is running.
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
✓
pgrep cron
`pgrep cron` searches the process table for processes named 'cron' and returns the PID(s) if running. This is a quick, reliable way to verify the cron daemon is active without parsing full process lists or relying on systemd-specific commands.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
pgrep cron
Why this is correct
Correct. `pgrep cron` searches the process list for processes named 'cron' and returns their PIDs, quickly confirming the daemon is running.
- ✗
systemctl status cron
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. `systemctl status cron` works only on systems using systemd; also the cron daemon may be named 'crond', not 'cron', leading to a false negative.
- ✗
crontab -l
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. `crontab -l` lists the contents of the user's crontab file, not the status of the cron daemon.
- ✗
ps aux | grep cron
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. `ps aux | grep cron` can show the cron process, but the grep command itself may match its own line, requiring additional filtering (e.g., `grep -v grep`), making it less reliable than `pgrep`.
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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.