LPIC-1 Administrative Tasks Practice Question
Which TWO commands can be used to display the current runlevel of a system?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse commands that change the runlevel (like `init 3`) with commands that display it, or assume `systemctl get-default` shows the current runlevel when it actually shows the default target for the next boot.
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
✓
runlevel
The `runlevel` command displays the previous and current runlevel of a SysV init system. The `who -r` command also shows the current runlevel along with the process ID of the init daemon. Both are standard tools for querying runlevel information on systems using SysV init.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
telinit q
Why it's wrong here
Reloads init configuration.
- ✗
systemctl get-default
Why it's wrong here
Shows default target, not current runlevel.
- ✗
init 3
Why it's wrong here
Changes runlevel, does not display.
- ✓
runlevel
Why this is correct
Displays previous and current runlevel.
- ✓
who -r
Why this is correct
Displays current runlevel.
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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.