LPIC-1 Administrative Tasks Practice Question
Which TWO commands can be used to display the current runlevel of a SysV init system?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse commands that change runlevels (like `init` or `telinit`) with those that display them, or mistakenly apply systemd commands like `systemctl get-default` to SysV init systems.
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
✓
who -r
The `who -r` command displays the current runlevel and the time it was last changed, making it a valid way to check the runlevel in a SysV init system. The `runlevel` command directly outputs the previous and current runlevel, which is the standard tool for this purpose.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
init 3
Why it's wrong here
This changes runlevel to 3, not displays it.
- ✓
who -r
Why this is correct
The 'who -r' command displays the current runlevel and process since last boot.
- ✗
telinit
Why it's wrong here
telinit is used to send signals to init, typically to change runlevel, not display current.
- ✓
runlevel
Why this is correct
The runlevel command prints the previous and current runlevel.
- ✗
systemctl get-default
Why it's wrong here
This is for systemd, not SysV init.
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JA
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.