EX200 Create and configure file systems Practice Question
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
Output of 'df -hT':
Filesystem Type Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/sda1 xfs 2.0G 1.2G 800M 60% /boot
/dev/mapper/vg00-root
ext4 20G 15G 5.0G 75% /
/dev/mapper/vg00-var
ext4 30G 25G 5.0G 83% /var
/dev/mapper/vg00-tmp
ext4,noexec 5.0G 2.0G 3.0G 40% /tmp
/dev/sdb1 ext4 500G 200G 300G 40% /dataBased on the exhibit, which mount point is mounted with the 'noexec' option?
⚠ Common exam trap
Red Hat often tests the 'noexec' option on /tmp because candidates may overlook that /tmp is a separate mount point in many Red Hat Enterprise Linux installations, and they might incorrectly assume it inherits the root filesystem's mount options.
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
✓
/tmp
The /tmp mount point is configured with the 'noexec' option, as shown in the exhibit (e.g., in /etc/fstab or the output of mount or findmnt). This prevents execution of binaries directly from the /tmp filesystem, which is a common security hardening practice to mitigate the risk of attackers running malicious scripts or binaries from a world-writable directory.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
/data
Why it's wrong here
The exhibit shows /data mounted with standard options such as rw and relatime, but does not list noexec anywhere in that row, meaning binaries stored on /data can be directly executed. As a dedicated data volume, /data would need an explicit noexec flag in the mount options to block execution, and since it is absent, /data is not the mount point described in the question.
- ✗
/
Why it's wrong here
The root filesystem is mounted at / with options like rw and relatime, and noexec is absent from its mount options, so it is not the correct answer. Furthermore, applying noexec to / would prevent init, systemd, and all core binaries in /usr from being executed via execve(), making the system unbootable. The exhibit's lack of noexec on / reflects that the root filesystem must remain executable for the OS to operate.
- ✗
/var
Why it's wrong here
In the exhibit, /var is mounted with rw and relatime but not with noexec, so executable files under /var, such as package manager scripts or programs in /var/lib or /var/tmp, are still allowed to run. The /var filesystem is designed to hold variable data like logs and spool files, yet it is not hardened with noexec in this configuration. Because noexec is not shown for /var, this mount point cannot be the one the question asks about.
- ✓
/tmp
Why this is correct
The /tmp mount point is the correct answer because the exhibit explicitly shows it as an ext4 filesystem mounted with the noexec option. This mount flag instructs the Linux kernel to refuse execve() calls for files located on that filesystem, preventing binaries from being launched directly from the world-writable /tmp directory. No other mount point listed in the exhibit displays the noexec flag, making /tmp the only matching option.
- ✗
/boot
Why it's wrong here
Although /boot is a separate small partition, the exhibit shows it mounted with rw and relatime but without noexec, so it is not the mount point in question. During the boot process, the firmware and bootloader read kernel images directly from /boot without invoking a filesystem exec() call, so noexec would have little practical effect there. Since noexec is absent from the /boot row, it cannot be the correct choice.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 427 original EX200 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This EX200 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Red Hat 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 EX200 exam.