LPIC-1 Administrative Tasks Practice Question
An administrator needs to check the system's load averages without displaying any process information. Which command should be used?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse `uptime` with `w` or `top` because both also display load averages, but the question explicitly requires no process information, which `w` and `top` include.
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
✓
uptime
The `uptime` command displays the current time, how long the system has been running, the number of logged-in users, and the system load averages for the past 1, 5, and 15 minutes. It does not show any process-level information, making it the correct choice for checking load averages alone.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
w
Why it's wrong here
W shows who is logged on and what they are doing, including load averages, but also shows user details.
- ✗
top
Why it's wrong here
Top displays process information in addition to load averages, which is not requested.
- ✗
ps
Why it's wrong here
Ps shows process status and does not display load averages.
- ✓
uptime
Why this is correct
Correctly displays load averages with minimal output.
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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.