EX200 Essential Tools Practice Question
Exhibit
$ ls -l /etc/shadow -rw-------. 1 root root 1234 Jan 1 00:00 /etc/shadow
Refer to the exhibit. What does the file permission -rw------- indicate about /etc/shadow?
⚠ Common exam trap
Red Hat often tests the misconception that `-rw-------` means the owner can execute, or that the hyphen in the execute position is easily overlooked, causing candidates to incorrectly assume execute permission is present.
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
✓
Only root user can read and write; others have no access.
The permission string `-rw-------` breaks down as: owner (root) has read (4) and write (2) permissions, and no execute (0); group has no permissions (---); others have no permissions (---). Since `/etc/shadow` is owned by root, only the root user can read and write the file, while all other users (including group members and others) have zero access. Option D correctly states this.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Root user can read, write, and execute; group and others have no access.
Why it's wrong here
This choice misreads the permission string's execute bit. The notation 'rw' for the owner class indicates read and write permissions only; there is no execute (x) flag set, so the file is not executable via its permission bits. While root can bypass permission checks, that is not what these visible mode bits convey — they specifically deny execute to all classes.
- ✗
Owner can read and write; group can read; others can read.
Why it's wrong here
This choice incorrectly extends access beyond the owner. The three permission triads are 'rw-', '---', '---', meaning the owner may read and write, but the group and others have none of the read, write, or execute permissions. Therefore, the group cannot read the file and others cannot read it either, contrary to this answer.
- ✗
Owner can read; group can read; others cannot access.
Why it's wrong here
This choice understates the owner's permissions and wrongly grants group read access. The owner class actually has both read and write (rw-), not read-only, while the group class is entirely denied (---). Since the exhibit shows no access for group, saying group can read is incorrect.
- ✓
Only root user can read and write; others have no access.
Why this is correct
The permission string begins with a hyphen indicating a regular file, followed by 'rw-' for the owner, which is root (or the file's owning user). The subsequent '---' for group and '---' for others show those classes have zero access, so only the owner can read and write (and not execute). This matches typical root-owned file permissions.
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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.