This LPIC-1 practice question tests your understanding of administrative tasks. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 THREE signals are commonly used to terminate a process with the kill command?
SIGSTOP
Why wrong: Stops (pauses) the process; does not terminate it.
SIGKILL
Forces immediate termination; cannot be caught or ignored.
SIGINT
Why wrong: Typically generated by Ctrl+C; terminates the process, but not as commonly used with kill as SIGTERM or SIGKILL.
SIGHUP
Often used to restart or reload daemons; can terminate process if not handled.
SIGTERM
Sends a termination request; process can catch and clean up.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
SIGKILL
SIGKILL (signal 9) is one of the three signals commonly used to terminate a process with the kill command because it forcefully kills the process without allowing it to clean up or ignore the signal. SIGTERM (signal 15) is the default signal sent by kill, requesting graceful termination. SIGHUP (signal 1) is traditionally used to hang up a terminal line but is also commonly used to reload configuration files or terminate processes in daemon management.
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.
SIGSTOP
Why it's wrong here
Stops (pauses) the process; does not terminate it.
SIGKILL
Why this is correct
Forces immediate termination; cannot be caught or ignored.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
SIGINT
Why it's wrong here
Typically generated by Ctrl+C; terminates the process, but not as commonly used with kill as SIGTERM or SIGKILL.
SIGHUP
Why this is correct
Often used to restart or reload daemons; can terminate process if not handled.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
SIGTERM
Why this is correct
Sends a termination request; process can catch and clean up.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse SIGSTOP with SIGKILL or SIGTERM, or mistakenly include SIGINT as a common kill command signal, when in fact SIGINT is more associated with terminal interrupts rather than direct process termination via kill.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, the kill command sends signals via the kill() system call, which directly interacts with the process's signal disposition table. SIGKILL cannot be caught, blocked, or ignored because its default action is hardcoded in the kernel to immediately terminate the process, making it the last resort for unresponsive processes. In real-world scenarios, administrators typically use SIGTERM first to allow cleanup, then escalate to SIGKILL if the process does not respond, while SIGHUP is often used in daemon management (e.g., nginx -s reload) to trigger configuration reloads without full termination.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
What to study next
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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: SIGKILL — SIGKILL (signal 9) is one of the three signals commonly used to terminate a process with the kill command because it forcefully kills the process without allowing it to clean up or ignore the signal. SIGTERM (signal 15) is the default signal sent by kill, requesting graceful termination. SIGHUP (signal 1) is traditionally used to hang up a terminal line but is also commonly used to reload configuration files or terminate processes in daemon management.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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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