Courseiva
← LPIC-1
Full test
Administrative Tasks →easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

LPIC-1 Administrative Tasks Practice Question

Exhibit

jdoe:x:1001:1001:John Doe:/home/jdoe:/bin/bash

Refer to the exhibit. This line is from /etc/passwd. What does the third field (1001) represent?

⚠ Common exam trap

Candidates often confuse the order of fields in /etc/passwd, specifically mixing up the UID (third field) with the GID (fourth field), because both are numeric identifiers.

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

✓

User ID (UID)

In the /etc/passwd file, the third field is the User ID (UID), a numeric identifier assigned to each user. UID 0 is reserved for root, and values below 1000 are typically system accounts, while 1001 is a regular user UID. This field is used by the kernel to track user ownership of processes and files.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

  • ✗

    Home directory UID

    Why it's wrong here

    There is no such field; the home directory is the sixth field.

  • ✗

    Group ID (GID)

    Why it's wrong here

    The GID is the fourth field.

  • ✓

    User ID (UID)

    Why this is correct

    The third field in /etc/passwd is the numerical user ID.

  • ✗

    Login shell number

    Why it's wrong here

    The login shell is the seventh field, and it's a path, not a number.

About these practice questions

One of 527 original LPIC-1 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →

How Courseiva writes practice questions · Editorial policy

JA

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.