LPIC-1 Linux Installation and Package Management Practice Question
Which TWO commands are used to install packages on a Debian-based system? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse package managers across distributions, mistakenly associating `rpm` or `yum` with Debian systems due to superficial familiarity with Linux package management.
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
✓
apt-get install
B is correct because `apt-get install` is the standard command-line tool for installing packages from Debian repositories, handling dependencies automatically. C is correct because `dpkg -i` installs a local `.deb` package file directly, though it does not resolve dependencies.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
pacman -S
Why it's wrong here
pacman -S is Arch Linux's package manager, operating on Arch repositories and .pkg.tar.zst packages, not Debian's .deb format. It is tempting because pacman is the standard high-level installer on Arch, and would be correct when installing packages on Arch or Manjaro systems.
- ✓
apt-get install
Why this is correct
apt-get install retrieves packages and their dependencies from configured Debian repositories, then invokes dpkg to unpack and configure them. It satisfies the stem's requirement for a Debian-based installation command, handling dependency resolution that the lower-level dpkg tool leaves to the administrator.
- ✓
dpkg -i
Why this is correct
dpkg -i installs a local .deb package directly via the low-level Debian package manager, bypassing repository resolution. It satisfies the stem's requirement for a Debian-based installation command, though it does not automatically fetch or resolve dependencies the way apt-get does.
- ✗
rpm -i
Why it's wrong here
rpm -i installs a single RPM package without resolving dependencies, and RPM packages are not Debian's native format; Debian uses .deb with dpkg and apt. It is tempting because rpm is the low-level installer on RPM systems, correct when installing a downloaded RPM on RHEL-family hosts.
- ✗
yum install
Why it's wrong here
yum resolves RPM dependencies against Red Hat, Fedora and CentOS repositories; Debian systems use dpkg with apt or apt-get. It is tempting because yum is the standard high-level installer on RPM-based distributions, and would be correct when installing packages on RHEL, CentOS or Fedora hosts.
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