EX200 Deploy, configure, and maintain systems Practice Question
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.
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
```
$ df -h
Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/sda1 20G 15G 5.0G 75% /
tmpfs 1.5G 2.3M 1.5G 1% /dev/shm
/dev/sdb1 100G 10G 90G 10% /data
$ ls -ld /data
drwx------. 6 root root 4096 Jan 1 12:00 /data
```
Refer to the exhibit. A user 'alice' is unable to write to /data directory. What is the most likely reason?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The directory permissions restrict access
The correct answer is A because the exhibit (not shown here) likely displays directory permissions such as 'drwxr-xr-x' or 'drwx------' that do not grant write access to the user 'alice'. In Linux, the write permission (w) on a directory controls whether a user can create, delete, or rename files within it. Since 'alice' lacks write permission on /data, she cannot write to it, regardless of ownership or filesystem space.
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.
✓
The directory permissions restrict access
Why this is correct
Permissions are 700 (owner only) and alice is not root.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The filesystem is nearly full
Why it's wrong here
The filesystem has 90G free, so not full.
✗
The directory is owned by root and alice is not root
Why it's wrong here
This is partially correct but the permissions explicitly deny others; ownership alone is not the issue.
✗
The directory has ACLs preventing access
Why it's wrong here
No ACLs are shown; the plus sign after permissions would indicate ACLs, but there is none.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume ownership by root (Option C) is the sole reason for denial, overlooking that permissions (Option A) are the actual gatekeeper; Cisco tests whether you understand that 'root ownership' does not block a non-root user if the 'others' permission allows write.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
No ACLs are shown; the plus sign after permissions would indicate ACLs, but there is none.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, directory write permission is checked via the inode's permission bits (st_mode) during the vfs_create or vfs_unlink operation in the kernel. A common subtlety is that the sticky bit (chmod +t) on a directory like /tmp allows users to write but only delete their own files, which can confuse candidates. In real-world scenarios, misconfigured permissions on shared directories (e.g., /data) are a frequent cause of access issues, often resolved with 'chmod g+w /data' or ACLs for finer control.
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 security administrator must allow nursing staff to reach a patient records server while blocking access from the guest Wi-Fi VLAN. After applying an extended ACL, traffic is still blocked from nursing workstations. The ACL was applied outbound instead of inbound on the wrong interface. Questions like this test ACL direction and placement rules.
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.
Deploy, configure, and maintain systems — This question tests Deploy, configure, and maintain systems — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The directory permissions restrict access — The correct answer is A because the exhibit (not shown here) likely displays directory permissions such as 'drwxr-xr-x' or 'drwx------' that do not grant write access to the user 'alice'. In Linux, the write permission (w) on a directory controls whether a user can create, delete, or rename files within it. Since 'alice' lacks write permission on /data, she cannot write to it, regardless of ownership or filesystem space.
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: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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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