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 is used to view the last few lines of a log file and simultaneously follow new entries as they are written?
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.
tail -f
Correctly displays last lines and follows new data.
cat
Why wrong: Cat outputs the entire file immediately and does not follow new data.
head -n 10
Why wrong: Head shows the first lines of a file, not the end, and does not follow updates.
less
Why wrong: Less allows interactive viewing but does not continuously follow new data unless using the 'F' command within less.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
tail -f
The `tail -f` command is correct because it displays the last 10 lines of a file by default and then continues to monitor the file for new lines, outputting them as they are appended. This is essential for real-time log monitoring, as it uses inotify or polling to detect file changes without requiring manual re-reading.
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.
tail -f
Why this is correct
Correctly displays last lines and follows new data.
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.
cat
Why it's wrong here
Cat outputs the entire file immediately and does not follow new data.
head -n 10
Why it's wrong here
Head shows the first lines of a file, not the end, and does not follow updates.
less
Why it's wrong here
Less allows interactive viewing but does not continuously follow new data unless using the 'F' command within less.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates may confuse `tail -f` with `less` (which can also follow with `Shift+F`), but the question explicitly asks for the command that 'simultaneously follow new entries as they are written' in its default invocation, making `tail -f` the only correct answer without requiring additional key presses.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
Cat outputs the entire file immediately and does not follow new data.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, `tail -f` uses the inotify subsystem on Linux to receive file change events, or falls back to polling the file size every second if inotify is unavailable. This allows it to efficiently output new data appended to the file without consuming CPU on repeated full reads. In real-world scenarios, system administrators use `tail -f /var/log/syslog` to monitor live system events, and the `-f` flag is distinct from `-F` which also handles log rotation by reopening the file if it is renamed or truncated.
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: tail -f — The `tail -f` command is correct because it displays the last 10 lines of a file by default and then continues to monitor the file for new lines, outputting them as they are appended. This is essential for real-time log monitoring, as it uses inotify or polling to detect file changes without requiring manual re-reading.
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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