This LPIC-1 practice question tests your understanding of administrative tasks. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Which command adds a new group named 'developers' to the system?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "which command"
Why it matters: Tests specific CLI syntax. Recall the exact command and its required context — near-synonyms and partial matches are common distractors.
addgroup developers
Why wrong: Incorrect: not a standard command.
groupadd developers
Correct: standard command to add a group.
newgroup developers
Why wrong: Incorrect: command does not exist.
groupadd -r developers
Why wrong: Incorrect: -r creates a system group.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
groupadd developers
The correct command to add a new group on a Linux system is `groupadd developers`. This command creates a new group entry in the system's group database (typically /etc/group). The `groupadd` utility is the standard tool for this task in Linux, and it is part of the shadow-utils package.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
addgroup developers
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: not a standard command.
groupadd developers
Why this is correct
Correct: standard command to add a group.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "which command" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
newgroup developers
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: command does not exist.
groupadd -r developers
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: -r creates a system group.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates may confuse `groupadd` with distribution-specific wrappers like `addgroup` (Debian/Ubuntu) or think that `newgroup` is a valid command, or they may overlook the significance of the `-r` flag which creates a system group instead of a regular group.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
Incorrect: not a standard command.
Detailed technical explanation
The `groupadd` command modifies the /etc/group file and optionally the /etc/gshadow file for shadowed group passwords. By default, it assigns the next available GID from the range defined in /etc/login.defs (e.g., GID_MIN and GID_MAX). The `-r` flag forces the GID to be taken from the system range (SYS_GID_MIN to SYS_GID_MAX), which is used for system accounts and services, not for human users.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A practitioner preparing for the LPIC-1 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Administrative Tasks — This question tests Administrative Tasks — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: groupadd developers — The correct command to add a new group on a Linux system is `groupadd developers`. This command creates a new group entry in the system's group database (typically /etc/group). The `groupadd` utility is the standard tool for this task in Linux, and it is part of the shadow-utils package.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "which command". Tests specific CLI syntax. Recall the exact command and its required context — near-synonyms and partial matches are common distractors.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
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.
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