This EX200 practice question tests your understanding of manage users and groups. 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.
A company needs to create a user account for a temporary contractor who will work for exactly 90 days. The account must be automatically disabled after 90 days. Which command should the administrator use?
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.
Option B is correct because the `-e` (expiration date) option sets the date on which the user account will be disabled. Using `$(date -d '+90 days' +%Y-%m-%d)` dynamically calculates the exact date 90 days from today in YYYY-MM-DD format, which meets the requirement for automatic disable after exactly 90 days.
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.
✗
useradd -f 90 contractor
Why it's wrong here
Option B uses -f to set the inactivity period after password expiration, not account expiration.
Option A correctly uses the -e option to set the account expiration date to 90 days from now using the date command.
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.
✗
useradd -e 90 contractor
Why it's wrong here
Option D is invalid because -e requires a date in YYYY-MM-DD format, not a number of days.
✗
useradd -f 90 -e 0 contractor
Why it's wrong here
Option C sets inactivity period to 90 and expiration to epoch (0), which disables the account immediately.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is confusing the `-e` (account expiration date) option with a number of days, when it actually requires a specific date in YYYY-MM-DD format, and confusing `-f` (inactive days after password expiry) with account expiration.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The `useradd -e` option writes the expiration date to the `/etc/shadow` file's eighth field (account expiration), which is stored as the number of days since the epoch. When the system date passes that value, the account is locked and cannot be used for login. Using command substitution with `date -d` ensures the expiration date is calculated at runtime, avoiding hardcoded dates that would be incorrect if the command is run later.
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.
Manage users and groups — This question tests Manage users and groups — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: useradd -e $(date -d '+90 days' +%Y-%m-%d) contractor — Option B is correct because the `-e` (expiration date) option sets the date on which the user account will be disabled. Using `$(date -d '+90 days' +%Y-%m-%d)` dynamically calculates the exact date 90 days from today in YYYY-MM-DD format, which meets the requirement for automatic disable after exactly 90 days.
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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Question Discussion
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