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.
An administrator receives an alert that a process named 'apache2' is consuming excessive CPU. The administrator needs to identify the PID of the process and then change its priority to the lowest possible value (least favorable scheduling). Which sequence of commands should be used?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "least"
Why it matters: You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
pidof apache2; renice -n 20 -p <PID>
Why wrong: Valid nice values are -20 to 19; 20 is invalid.
pidof apache2; renice -n 19 -p <PID>
pidof gives PID, renice -n 19 sets low priority.
ps -C apache2 -o pid=; renice -n -20 -p <PID>
Why wrong: -20 is highest priority, not lowest.
ps aux | grep apache2; nice -n 19 <PID>
Why wrong: nice cannot change priority of an existing process.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
pidof apache2; renice -n 19 -p <PID>
Option B is correct because `pidof apache2` retrieves the PID of the apache2 process, and `renice -n 19 -p <PID>` sets the priority to the lowest possible (least favorable) scheduling value. In Linux, `renice` accepts nice values from -20 (highest priority) to 19 (lowest priority), so 19 is the correct value for the least favorable scheduling.
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.
pidof apache2; renice -n 20 -p <PID>
Why it's wrong here
Valid nice values are -20 to 19; 20 is invalid.
pidof apache2; renice -n 19 -p <PID>
Why this is correct
pidof gives PID, renice -n 19 sets low priority.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "least" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
ps -C apache2 -o pid=; renice -n -20 -p <PID>
Why it's wrong here
-20 is highest priority, not lowest.
ps aux | grep apache2; nice -n 19 <PID>
Why it's wrong here
nice cannot change priority of an existing process.
Common exam traps
Red Hat often tests the exact range of nice values (0-19 for non-root users, -20 to 19 for root) and the distinction between `nice` (for starting processes) and `renice` (for changing priority of running processes), leading candidates to confuse the two or use out-of-range values.
Detailed technical explanation
The `renice` command alters the scheduling priority of an already running process by modifying its nice value, which affects the process's dynamic priority calculated by the Completely Fair Scheduler (CFS). The nice value ranges from -20 (highest priority, most CPU time) to 19 (lowest priority, least CPU time), and only root can set negative nice values or lower the nice value (increase priority) of another user's process. In real-world scenarios, an administrator might use `renice -n 19` to reduce the CPU impact of a runaway process without killing it, allowing other critical services to run smoothly.
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
Essential Tools — This question tests Essential Tools — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: pidof apache2; renice -n 19 -p <PID> — Option B is correct because `pidof apache2` retrieves the PID of the apache2 process, and `renice -n 19 -p <PID>` sets the priority to the lowest possible (least favorable) scheduling value. In Linux, `renice` accepts nice values from -20 (highest priority) to 19 (lowest priority), so 19 is the correct value for the least favorable scheduling.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "least". You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
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