LPIC-1 Devices, Filesystems and FHS Practice Question
An administrator needs to gather detailed information about the partition table and filesystem geometry of /dev/sda before migrating data. Which TWO commands will display the partition layout of the disk? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is treating lsblk or blkid as partition-layout tools, when they actually report filesystem and device attributes rather than the partition table itself.
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
✓
fdisk -l /dev/sda
Both fdisk -l and parted print read and display the on-disk partition table, enumerating partitions with their start and end positions and the table type. The other tools focus on filesystem identity or capacity rather than partitioning: blkid and lsblk -f describe what filesystems exist, and df reports mount usage. For migration planning that requires partition geometry, the partition-table readers are the correct choices.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
fdisk -l /dev/sda
Why this is correct
fdisk -l lists the partition table of the specified disk, showing partition numbers, start and end sectors, sizes, and type codes for both MBR and GPT layouts. It reads the on-disk partition table directly, so it reports the actual partition boundaries the administrator needs for migration planning. This is a standard, reliable way to inspect disk partitioning without modifying anything.
- ✗
lsblk -f /dev/sda
Why it's wrong here
lsblk -f shows a tree of block devices with filesystem type, label, UUID, and mount point, which is helpful for identifying filesystems. However, it does not display the partition table type or exact partition boundaries and offsets. It complements partition tools by mapping devices to filesystems, but it is not a partition-layout display command on its own.
- ✗
blkid /dev/sda
Why it's wrong here
blkid reports UUIDs, filesystem types, and labels of block devices or partitions, not the partition table layout. It queries superblock metadata of filesystems, so it can identify what is on /dev/sda1 or /dev/sda2 but cannot enumerate the partitions themselves or their sector offsets. It is useful for identifying filesystems, but it does not answer the partition-layout question.
- ✗
df -h /dev/sda
Why it's wrong here
df reports used and available space of mounted filesystems, and it expects a mount point or filesystem path rather than a whole disk device. Passing /dev/sda typically yields no useful output because the disk itself is not mounted. It shows capacity statistics, not the partition table, so it cannot reveal how the disk is divided.
- ✓
parted /dev/sda print
Why this is correct
The parted print command displays the partition table type (msdos or gpt) and each partition with its number, start, end, size, and filesystem. It reads the same on-disk structures as fdisk but presents them clearly, including GPT specifics. For migration planning, this gives both layout and filesystem hints in one view, making it a valid tool for the task.
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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.