LPIC-1 Shells, Scripting and Data Management Practice Question
Exhibit
The output of 'cat /etc/crontab' shows: * * * * * root /usr/local/bin/backup.sh
Refer to the exhibit. When will the cron job execute?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates often misinterpret `* * * * *` as 'every hour' or 'every day at midnight' because they focus on the asterisks without understanding that each field must be evaluated independently — every asterisk means 'every possible value' for that field, leading to execution every minute.
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
✓
Every minute.
The cron job entry `* * * * *` specifies five fields (minute, hour, day of month, month, day of week), each set to `*`, meaning 'every'. This results in the job executing every minute of every hour, every day of the month, every month, and every day of the week — i.e., every minute without restriction.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Every minute of every hour, but only weekdays.
Why it's wrong here
A weekday-only schedule requires a day-of-week field restricting execution to Monday–Friday, so this omits that constraint and would also run at weekends. It is tempting because cron's five fields can express per-minute and per-hour timing, which is the correct approach when the requirement genuinely is every minute of every hour.
- ✗
Every day at midnight.
Why it's wrong here
Midnight corresponds to the 0 0 field values, which the exhibit's schedule does not specify; the minute and hour fields indicate a different cadence. It is tempting because daily midnight execution is a common cron pattern, but the actual field values determine the real timing.
- ✓
Every minute.
Why this is correct
The schedule field of five asterisks matches every minute of every hour, day and month, so cron launches the job once per minute. Each asterisk means the full range for that field, giving the highest possible frequency.
- ✗
Every hour.
Why it's wrong here
Hourly execution requires the minute field to hold a fixed value with the hour field as an asterisk, which the exhibit does not show. It is tempting because asterisks suggest repetition, but the specific minute and hour values define the true schedule.
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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.