LPIC-1 Shells, Scripting and Data Management Practice Question
Exhibit
$ set | grep -E ^BASH BASH=/bin/bash BASH_ALIASES=() BASH_CMDS=() BASH_LINENO=() BASH_SOURCE=() BASH_VERSION='5.0.0(1)-release'
Refer to the exhibit. An administrator wants to unset the BASH_ALIASES associative array. Which command will correctly remove it?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse `unset` with `export -n` or think a special flag like `-v` is required, when in fact `unset` alone is the correct and simplest way to remove any variable, including associative arrays.
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
✓
unset BASH_ALIASES
`unset` is the standard Bash built-in command to destroy a variable or function. For an associative array like BASH_ALIASES, `unset BASH_ALIASES` removes the entire array, including all its key-value pairs, from the current shell environment.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
export -n BASH_ALIASES
Why it's wrong here
export -n removes export property but does not unset the variable.
- ✗
unset -v BASH_ALIASES
Why it's wrong here
unset does not accept -v; that is used with declare.
- ✗
delete BASH_ALIASES
Why it's wrong here
delete is not a built-in command in Bash.
- ✓
unset BASH_ALIASES
Why this is correct
Correctly unsets the variable or array.
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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.