LPIC-1 Devices, Filesystems and FHS Practice Question
A user reports that a USB flash drive plugged into a Linux workstation is not automatically mounted. The administrator runs 'lsblk' and sees the device as /dev/sdb1 with no mountpoint. Which command should the administrator use to manually mount the filesystem on /dev/sdb1 to the /mnt/usb directory?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse the order of arguments or adding unnecessary options like -t auto or -o loop, which are not required for a simple manual mount.
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/sdb1 /mnt/usb
The correct command is 'mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/usb'. This uses the standard syntax of device followed by mount point. The system will auto-detect the filesystem type. Other options either reverse the arguments, add unnecessary options, or use loop mounting which is not applicable.
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 -t auto /dev/sdb1 /mnt/usb
Why it's wrong here
While '-t auto' is valid to auto-detect the filesystem type, it is not necessary because mount defaults to auto-detection. However, this command is not wrong per se; it would work. But the question asks for the command to manually mount, and the simplest correct form is without -t auto. Since the question likely expects the basic syntax, this option is less ideal but not incorrect. However, in multiple-choice, only one answer is correct; the best answer is the simple mount command.
- ✗
mount /mnt/usb /dev/sdb1
Why it's wrong here
The arguments are reversed. The mount command expects the device first, then the mount point. Using this order would attempt to mount the directory /mnt/usb onto the device /dev/sdb1, which is incorrect and would likely produce an error.
- ✓
mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/usb
Why this is correct
The mount command with the device and mount point as arguments will mount the filesystem. The system will auto-detect the filesystem type if not specified. This is the correct syntax to manually mount a device to a directory.
- ✗
mount -o loop /dev/sdb1 /mnt/usb
Why it's wrong here
The '-o loop' option is used to mount a regular file as a loop device, not a block device like a USB drive. Using it on /dev/sdb1 would be inappropriate and likely fail. This option is incorrect for the scenario.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official LPI exam blueprint
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.