LPIC-1 System Architecture Practice Question
Which TWO commands can be used to obtain information about the CPU architecture of a Linux system?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates often pick `uname -m` (option A) thinking it provides full CPU architecture details, but it only outputs a single string like 'x86_64', whereas the question asks for 'information about the CPU architecture' in a broader sense, which `lscpu` and `/proc/cpuinfo` satisfy.
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
✓
lscpu
B is correct because `lscpu` is a dedicated command that reads and aggregates CPU architecture information from `/sys` and `/proc/cpuinfo`, presenting it in a clean, human-readable format. It provides details such as CPU model, cores, threads, architecture type, and cache sizes, making it a standard tool for CPU architecture queries on Linux.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
uname -m
Why it's wrong here
Outputs only the machine hardware name (e.g., x86_64), lacking detailed CPU info.
- ✓
lscpu
Why this is correct
Displays CPU architecture details including cores, threads, model name, etc.
- ✗
dmidecode -t processor
Why it's wrong here
dmidecode can show processor info but is not the most common or direct method.
- ✓
cat /proc/cpuinfo
Why this is correct
Directly provides processor information from the kernel.
- ✗
lspci
Why it's wrong here
Lists PCI devices, not CPU-specific data.
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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.