This LPIC-2 practice question tests your understanding of block devices, filesystems and advanced storage. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Which command can be used to create a swap partition on /dev/sdb1?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "which command"
Why it matters: Tests specific CLI syntax. Recall the exact command and its required context — near-synonyms and partial matches are common distractors.
swapcreate /dev/sdb1
Why wrong: No such command.
mkswap /dev/sdb1; swapon /dev/sdb1
Correct sequence to create and enable swap.
swapon /dev/sdb1
Why wrong: Swapon only activates an existing swap partition.
mkfs.swap /dev/sdb1
Why wrong: No such command.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
mkswap /dev/sdb1; swapon /dev/sdb1
B is correct because creating a swap partition requires two steps: first, `mkswap` initializes the partition as a swap area by writing a swap signature (UUID and superblock) to /dev/sdb1; second, `swapon` activates the swap space, making it available to the kernel for paging. Without `mkswap`, the partition lacks the necessary swap metadata and cannot be used.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
swapcreate /dev/sdb1
Why it's wrong here
No such command.
mkswap /dev/sdb1; swapon /dev/sdb1
Why this is correct
Correct sequence to create and enable swap.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "which command" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
swapon /dev/sdb1
Why it's wrong here
Swapon only activates an existing swap partition.
mkfs.swap /dev/sdb1
Why it's wrong here
No such command.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates may assume `swapon` alone can both create and activate swap, similar to how `mount` can create a filesystem with `-t` in some contexts, but swap requires explicit initialization with `mkswap` first.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
No such command.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, `mkswap` writes a swap superblock at the beginning of the partition, containing a UUID, label, and the swap version (currently version 2). The kernel uses this metadata to identify and manage swap areas; without it, `swapon` returns an error. In real-world scenarios, forgetting to run `mkswap` before `swapon` is a common mistake when adding swap to a new disk or LVM logical volume.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
What to study next
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FAQ
Block Devices, Filesystems and Advanced Storage — This question tests Block Devices, Filesystems and Advanced Storage — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: mkswap /dev/sdb1; swapon /dev/sdb1 — B is correct because creating a swap partition requires two steps: first, `mkswap` initializes the partition as a swap area by writing a swap signature (UUID and superblock) to /dev/sdb1; second, `swapon` activates the swap space, making it available to the kernel for paging. Without `mkswap`, the partition lacks the necessary swap metadata and cannot be used.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "which command". Tests specific CLI syntax. Recall the exact command and its required context — near-synonyms and partial matches are common distractors.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
This LPIC-2 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-2 exam.
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