This LPIC-1 practice question tests your understanding of administrative tasks. 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 user reports that a file cannot be saved due to 'No space left on device'. Which command should the administrator use to verify disk usage?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
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.
du -sh /
Why wrong: Incorrect: shows disk usage of root directory, not overall partition space.
fdisk -l
Why wrong: Incorrect: shows partition tables.
df -i
Why wrong: Incorrect: shows inode usage, not space.
df -h
Correct: shows disk space usage.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
df -h
The 'df -h' command displays disk space usage in human-readable format (e.g., GB, MB) for all mounted filesystems. When a user encounters 'No space left on device', the most direct verification is to check available disk space with 'df -h', which shows used and available blocks. Option D is correct because it specifically addresses the space shortage indicated by the error.
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.
du -sh /
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: shows disk usage of root directory, not overall partition space.
fdisk -l
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: shows partition tables.
df -i
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: shows inode usage, not space.
df -h
Why this is correct
Correct: shows disk space usage.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "which command" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates may confuse 'df -h' (disk free, human-readable) with 'du -sh' (disk usage summary) or 'df -i' (inode usage), not recognizing that the error message directly points to block space exhaustion, which 'df -h' is designed to check.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
Incorrect: shows disk usage of root directory, not overall partition space.
Detailed technical explanation
The 'df' command reads the statfs() system call to retrieve filesystem statistics, including total blocks, free blocks, and available blocks for unprivileged users. The '-h' flag converts these values into human-readable units (e.g., 1K, 1M, 1G) using powers of 1024. In a real-world scenario, a full /var/log partition can cause application failures, and 'df -h' quickly identifies which mount point is at capacity, allowing targeted cleanup.
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 exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Administrative Tasks — This question tests Administrative Tasks — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: df -h — The 'df -h' command displays disk space usage in human-readable format (e.g., GB, MB) for all mounted filesystems. When a user encounters 'No space left on device', the most direct verification is to check available disk space with 'df -h', which shows used and available blocks. Option D is correct because it specifically addresses the space shortage indicated by the error.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "which command". Tests specific CLI syntax. Recall the exact command and its required context — near-synonyms and partial matches are common distractors.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 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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