LPIC-1 System Architecture Practice Question
Which TWO statements about GRUB 2 are correct?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse the GRUB 2 configuration workflow with GRUB Legacy, mistakenly thinking menu.lst is still used, or that pressing 'e' opens the GRUB prompt instead of the entry editor.
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
✓
After modifying /etc/default/grub, the command update-grub must be run to regenerate grub.cfg.
Option A is correct because /etc/default/grub is a user-editable configuration file containing variables like GRUB_TIMEOUT and GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX, and changes to it only take effect after running update-grub (a wrapper for grub-mkconfig) to regenerate the actual boot configuration. Option B is correct because GRUB 2 reads /boot/grub/grub.cfg at boot time, which is the generated file containing menu entries and boot directives. Option C is incorrect because menu.lst belongs to GRUB Legacy, not GRUB 2. Option D is incorrect because pressing 'e' at the GRUB menu opens an editor for the selected entry, not a GRUB command prompt; the 'c' key accesses the command-line prompt. Option E is incorrect because /etc/default/grub is not read directly by GRUB at boot; it is only consumed by grub-mkconfig/update-grub to produce grub.cfg.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
After modifying /etc/default/grub, the command update-grub must be run to regenerate grub.cfg.
Why this is correct
Editing /etc/default/grub only changes the input variables; GRUB 2 reads the generated grub.cfg at boot, so update-grub (a wrapper for grub-mkconfig) must regenerate that file for the changes to take effect. This satisfies the stem's requirement that the statement accurately describe GRUB 2 behaviour.
- ✓
The GRUB configuration file read at boot is /boot/grub/grub.cfg.
Why this is correct
GRUB 2 reads /boot/grub/grub.cfg at boot, satisfying the stem's requirement for a correct GRUB 2 statement. Unlike GRUB Legacy's menu.lst, this file is generated by grub-mkconfig or update-grub from /etc/default/grub and /etc/grub.d/ scripts, so manual edits are overwritten.
- ✗
GRUB 2 uses a configuration file named menu.lst.
Why it's wrong here
menu.lst belongs to GRUB Legacy; GRUB 2 reads grub.cfg, generated by grub-mkconfig from /etc/default/grub and /etc/grub.d scripts. menu.lst would be the right file to edit on a legacy GRUB system, which is why the name is familiar and tempting.
- ✗
The GRUB prompt can be accessed by pressing the 'e' key during boot.
Why it's wrong here
Pressing 'e' at the GRUB 2 menu opens the editor for the highlighted entry, letting you modify kernel parameters for that boot only; the command prompt is reached with 'c'. Editing is the correct choice when you need to append a temporary kernel argument such as single-user mode.
- ✗
The /etc/default/grub file is directly read by GRUB during boot.
Why it's wrong here
/etc/default/grub holds variables consumed by grub-mkconfig when regenerating grub.cfg; GRUB itself never reads it at boot. It is the correct file to edit for persistent settings such as the default entry or timeout, but only after running update-grub.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
This LPIC-1 question is part of Courseiva's 402-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.