This EX200 practice question tests your understanding of deploy, configure, and maintain systems. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 fails to boot with an error about a missing ext4 filesystem. From the rescue environment, which command should be run to attempt automatic repair of all filesystems?
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.
fsck /dev/sda1
Why wrong: This checks only one partition, not all filesystems.
debugfs -R 'repair'
Why wrong: debugfs is for manual inspection, not automatic repair.
e2fsck -p
Why wrong: e2fsck -p automatically repairs ext filesystems but does not check all filesystems.
fsck -A -y
fsck -A checks all filesystems listed in /etc/fstab, and -y answers yes to all repairs.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
fsck -A -y
Option D is correct because `fsck -A -y` automatically checks all filesystems listed in `/etc/fstab` (the `-A` flag) and answers 'yes' to any repair prompts (the `-y` flag), making it the most appropriate command for automatic repair of all filesystems from a rescue environment. The error indicates a missing ext4 filesystem, and this command will attempt to repair any ext4 (or other) filesystem issues without manual intervention.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
fsck /dev/sda1
Why it's wrong here
This checks only one partition, not all filesystems.
debugfs -R 'repair'
Why it's wrong here
debugfs is for manual inspection, not automatic repair.
e2fsck -p
Why it's wrong here
e2fsck -p automatically repairs ext filesystems but does not check all filesystems.
fsck -A -y
Why this is correct
fsck -A checks all filesystems listed in /etc/fstab, and -y answers yes to all repairs.
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
The trap here is that candidates confuse `e2fsck -p` (which only repairs a single ext filesystem automatically) with `fsck -A -y` (which repairs all filesystems automatically), or they mistakenly think `debugfs` has a repair command, when it is actually a debugging tool, not a repair utility.
Detailed technical explanation
The `fsck` command is a front-end that calls filesystem-specific checkers (e.g., `e2fsck` for ext4) based on the filesystem type. The `-A` flag reads `/etc/fstab` and checks all filesystems with a non-zero pass number, while `-y` assumes 'yes' to all repair questions, which is critical in automated rescue scenarios. In real-world recovery, `fsck -A -y` can be dangerous if a filesystem has severe corruption, as it may apply repairs that could cause data loss, but it is the standard first-line automatic repair command.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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FAQ
Deploy, configure, and maintain systems — This question tests Deploy, configure, and maintain systems — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: fsck -A -y — Option D is correct because `fsck -A -y` automatically checks all filesystems listed in `/etc/fstab` (the `-A` flag) and answers 'yes' to any repair prompts (the `-y` flag), making it the most appropriate command for automatic repair of all filesystems from a rescue environment. The error indicates a missing ext4 filesystem, and this command will attempt to repair any ext4 (or other) filesystem issues without manual intervention.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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