This EX200 practice question tests your understanding of essential tools. 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 system administrator wants to find all files in /var that are larger than 100MB and have been modified within the last 7 days. The output should be a list of file paths with sizes in human-readable format, sorted by size descending. Which command pipeline accomplishes this?
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.
Why wrong: -ls output has size in bytes, not human-readable, and sort -n may not order correctly with different units.
B
find /var -type f -size +100M -mtime -7 -exec ls -lh {} \; | sort -k5 -h
Why wrong: -exec option spawns ls for each file, but sorting may not work as expected because the output is interleaved and sort -k5 may not match the size column reliably.
C
find /var -type f -size +100M -mtime -7 -exec du -h {} + | sort -rh
du -h gives human-readable sizes, sort -rh sorts by size descending correctly.
D
find /var -type f -size +100M -mtime -7 -printf '%s %p\n' | sort -n -r | head -20
Why wrong: Output is numeric bytes, not human-readable.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
find /var -type f -size +100M -mtime -7 -exec du -h {} + | sort -rh
Option C is correct because it uses `find` with `-size +100M` and `-mtime -7` to match files larger than 100MB modified within 7 days, then `-exec du -h {} +` aggregates sizes in human-readable format, and `sort -rh` sorts by the first field (size) in reverse human-numeric order, producing the required descending list.
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.
-ls output has size in bytes, not human-readable, and sort -n may not order correctly with different units.
✗
find /var -type f -size +100M -mtime -7 -exec ls -lh {} \; | sort -k5 -h
Why it's wrong here
-exec option spawns ls for each file, but sorting may not work as expected because the output is interleaved and sort -k5 may not match the size column reliably.
✓
find /var -type f -size +100M -mtime -7 -exec du -h {} + | sort -rh
Why this is correct
du -h gives human-readable sizes, sort -rh sorts by size descending correctly.
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.
✗
find /var -type f -size +100M -mtime -7 -printf '%s %p\n' | sort -n -r | head -20
Why it's wrong here
Output is numeric bytes, not human-readable.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Red Hat often tests the distinction between `-exec ls -lh` and `-exec du -h` for human-readable sizes, and the requirement for `sort -rh` (reverse human-numeric) versus `sort -n` (plain numeric) to correctly sort sizes with suffixes like 'M' or 'G'.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
-ls output has size in bytes, not human-readable, and sort -n may not order correctly with different units.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The `du -h` command with `+` in `-exec` aggregates multiple file arguments into a single `du` invocation, which is more efficient than per-file `ls`. The `sort -rh` flag uses the `-h` option (GNU coreutils) to compare human-readable size strings like '100M' or '1.2G' by converting them to numeric values, ensuring correct descending order. In real-world scenarios, administrators often combine `find` with `du` to audit disk usage across large directories, and `sort -rh` is essential for accurate sorting when sizes span multiple units.
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 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
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.
Essential Tools — This question tests Essential Tools — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: find /var -type f -size +100M -mtime -7 -exec du -h {} + | sort -rh — Option C is correct because it uses `find` with `-size +100M` and `-mtime -7` to match files larger than 100MB modified within 7 days, then `-exec du -h {} +` aggregates sizes in human-readable format, and `sort -rh` sorts by the first field (size) in reverse human-numeric order, producing the required descending list.
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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