The correct answer is du -sh /data/*, because this command calculates the total disk usage of each top-level item within /data and displays the sizes in a human-readable format, making it straightforward to identify which specific files or directories are consuming the most space when the partition is nearly full. The asterisk expands to all immediate children, so du reports a single line per child, allowing you to quickly spot the largest culprits without diving into subdirectories. On the Red Hat Certified System Administrator EX200 exam, this scenario tests your ability to interpret df output and apply the du command for targeted disk troubleshooting—a common performance task where candidates often mistakenly use du without the -s flag, which then lists every subdirectory recursively and buries the big items. A frequent trap is forgetting that du alone shows per-directory totals, not per-file, so the -s flag is essential to aggregate each top-level entry. Memory tip: think of “du -sh” as “disk usage, summarize, human”—it gives you a clean, sorted overview of what’s eating your space.
EX200 Deploy, configure, and maintain systems Practice Question
This EX200 practice question tests your understanding of deploy, configure, and maintain systems. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
# df -h
Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/sda1 20G 15G 4.6G 77% /
/dev/sdb1 50G 10G 40G 20% /var
/dev/sdc1 100G 90G 10G 90% /data
An administrator runs 'df -h' and sees the output above. The /data partition is nearly full. Which command will help identify the largest files in /data?
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.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
du -sh /data/*
Option D is correct because 'du -sh /data/*' calculates the total disk usage of each top-level item (files and directories) within /data, showing human-readable sizes. The asterisk expands to all immediate children, allowing the administrator to identify which specific files or directories consume the most space, which is exactly what is needed when /data is nearly full.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
du -sch /data/*
Why it's wrong here
Adds a grand total, which is unnecessary.
✗
du -sh /data
Why it's wrong here
Shows total size of /data, not breakdown.
✗
du -h --max-depth=1 /data
Why it's wrong here
Not a standard option; correct syntax is --max-depth=1 but -h works.
✓
du -sh /data/*
Why this is correct
Shows size of each top-level item in /data.
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.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse 'du -sh /data' (which shows only the total) with 'du -sh /data/*' (which shows per-item sizes), or they pick 'du -h --max-depth=1 /data' thinking it shows files, when in fact it only shows directory totals at depth 1, missing top-level files.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
Shows total size of /data, not breakdown.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The 'du' command (disk usage) by default recurses into all subdirectories; the '--max-depth=1' flag limits recursion to one level, but it still reports only directory totals, not individual file sizes. The shell glob '/data/*' expands to all entries (files and directories) in /data, and 'du -sh' on each gives a per-item summary, making it straightforward to spot large files. In real-world scenarios, combining 'du' with 'sort -rh' can further prioritize the largest consumers, and using 'find /data -type f -exec du -sh {} + | sort -rh | head -20' is an alternative for deep file-level analysis.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the EX200 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Deploy, configure, and maintain systems — This question tests Deploy, configure, and maintain systems — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: du -sh /data/* — Option D is correct because 'du -sh /data/*' calculates the total disk usage of each top-level item (files and directories) within /data, showing human-readable sizes. The asterisk expands to all immediate children, allowing the administrator to identify which specific files or directories consume the most space, which is exactly what is needed when /data is nearly full.
What should I do if I get this EX200 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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