LPIC-1 Devices, Filesystems and FHS Practice Question
Which TWO of the following are valid methods to specify a partition in /etc/fstab?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse PARTUUID (a partition table identifier) with UUID (a filesystem identifier), or assume any udev property like DEVPATH or ID is valid in fstab, when only UUID, LABEL, PARTUUID, and device paths are supported.
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
✓
PARTUUID
Options A (PARTUUID), B (UUID), and C (LABEL) are all valid device specifiers in the first field of /etc/fstab. UUID= and LABEL= reference the filesystem UUID and filesystem label, while PARTUUID= references the partition-table UUID (GUID) of the partition. For example, 'UUID=1234-ABCD / ext4 defaults 0 1', 'LABEL=root / ext4 defaults 0 1', and 'PARTUUID=12345678-01 / ext4 defaults 0 1' are all valid and resolved at mount time. Options D (DEVPATH) and E (ID) are not valid fstab device specifiers; they are udev properties and are not recognized fstab tags.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
PARTUUID
Why this is correct
PARTUUID is a partition table UUID, less commonly used in /etc/fstab.
- ✓
UUID
Why this is correct
UUID (Universally Unique Identifier) is a standard way to identify partitions.
- ✓
LABEL
Why this is correct
LABEL (filesystem label) is another standard method.
- ✗
DEVPATH
Why it's wrong here
DEVPATH is not a standard identifier for /etc/fstab.
- ✗
ID
Why it's wrong here
ID alone is ambiguous; /dev/disk/by-id could be used, but not directly as 'ID'.
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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.