This LPIC-1 practice question tests your understanding of administrative tasks. Examine the command output carefully: the correct answer depends on what the output actually shows, not on general recall alone. 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.
An administrator needs to check the system's load averages without displaying any process information. Which command should be used?
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.
w
Why wrong: W shows who is logged on and what they are doing, including load averages, but also shows user details.
top
Why wrong: Top displays process information in addition to load averages, which is not requested.
ps
Why wrong: Ps shows process status and does not display load averages.
uptime
Correctly displays load averages with minimal output.
Answer choices
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.
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.
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.
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 often 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.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
W shows who is logged on and what they are doing, including load averages, but also shows user details.
Detailed technical explanation
The load averages reported by `uptime` are derived from the kernel's scheduler statistics, specifically the number of processes in a runnable or uninterruptible sleep state (TASK_RUNNING and TASK_UNINTERRUPTIBLE) averaged over the specified time intervals. In a real-world scenario, an administrator might use `uptime` in a script to monitor system load without the overhead of parsing process lists, or when a quick, non-interactive check is needed for alerting or logging purposes.
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: 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.
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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