LPIC-1 GNU and Unix Commands Practice Question
Network Topology
Refer to the exhibit. A user runs 'python --version' and gets 'Python 3.9.1'. Which command would run Python 2 instead?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently assume `python` always refers to Python 2, but the question shows it is Python 3, so they must recognize that `python2` is the explicit command for Python 2, not `python3` or a version flag.
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
✓
python2
On many Linux distributions, Python 2 and Python 3 are installed side by side, with the `python` command typically linked to Python 2 (or sometimes Python 3, depending on the distribution). However, in this scenario, `python --version` returns 'Python 3.9.1', indicating that `python` is linked to Python 3. To explicitly run Python 2, you must use the `python2` command, which is the standard binary name for Python 2.x installations.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
python --version2
Why it's wrong here
python --version2 passes --version2 as an argument to the Python 3 interpreter, which rejects it as an unrecognised option; no version selector exists in that form. It is tempting because appending a version number to a command looks like a selector, and versioned binary names such as python2 are the real mechanism.
- ✓
python2
Why this is correct
On most Linux distributions Python 2 and Python 3 are installed as separate interpreters, so the versioned binary name selects the major version. Invoking python2 runs the Python 2 interpreter, satisfying the requirement to use Python 2 rather than the default Python 3.9.1.
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python3
Why it's wrong here
python3 explicitly invokes the Python 3 interpreter, so it runs the same major version already reported, not Python 2. It is tempting because versioned interpreter names are the usual way to select a major version, and python3 would be correct when Python 2 is the default and Python 3 is required.
- ✗
python2 --version
Why it's wrong here
python2 --version only prints the installed Python 2 version string and exits; it never launches an interactive interpreter or executes a script. It is tempting because python2 is the genuine Python 2 binary, and invoking it with a script argument would correctly run code under Python 2.
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