This LPIC-1 practice question tests your understanding of gnu and unix commands. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 when they run 'ls -l' in their home directory, they see files but all files have permissions like '-rwxrwxrwx', which is unexpected. The system administrator checks and finds that the user's umask is set to 000. The user wants all new files to be created with default permissions of -rw-r--r-- (644) and directories that are drwxr-xr-x (755). What should the user set their umask to?
007
Why wrong: umask 007 would result in files 660 and directories 770.
022
022 gives files 644 and directories 755.
002
Why wrong: umask 002 would result in files 664 (rw-rw-r--) and directories 775, not 644/755.
027
Why wrong: 027 gives files 640 and directories 750.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
022
The umask is a three-digit octal value that is subtracted from the default base permissions (666 for files, 777 for directories) to determine the default permissions for newly created files and directories. To achieve file permissions of 644 (rw-r--r--) and directory permissions of 755 (rwxr-xr-x), the umask must be 022. This is because 666 - 022 = 644 for files, and 777 - 022 = 755 for directories.
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.
007
Why it's wrong here
umask 007 would result in files 660 and directories 770.
022
Why this is correct
022 gives files 644 and directories 755.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
002
Why it's wrong here
umask 002 would result in files 664 (rw-rw-r--) and directories 775, not 644/755.
027
Why it's wrong here
027 gives files 640 and directories 750.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often mistakenly think the umask is added to or directly specifies the permissions, rather than understanding it is subtracted from the default base permissions (666 for files, 777 for directories).
Detailed technical explanation
The umask operates as a bitwise complement mask: the kernel applies the umask by clearing the bits set in the umask from the requested mode (typically 0666 for files and 0777 for directories). This means a umask of 022 clears the group write and other write bits, resulting in the standard 644/755 permissions. In practice, the umask is often set in shell startup files like ~/.bashrc or /etc/profile, and it affects all subsequent file creation within that session, including by commands like touch, mkdir, and output redirection.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A network engineer segments a warehouse floor into three subnets: 20 scanners, 5 printers, and 2 management hosts. Picking the wrong mask wastes addresses or leaves too few usable hosts. Exam questions test whether you can apply CIDR notation, calculate block size, and identify the correct usable-host range for a given prefix.
What to study next
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FAQ
GNU and Unix Commands — This question tests GNU and Unix Commands — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: 022 — The umask is a three-digit octal value that is subtracted from the default base permissions (666 for files, 777 for directories) to determine the default permissions for newly created files and directories. To achieve file permissions of 644 (rw-r--r--) and directory permissions of 755 (rwxr-xr-x), the umask must be 022. This is because 666 - 022 = 644 for files, and 777 - 022 = 755 for directories.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
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