Linux Commands Multiple Choice 2
-
What basic command is used to create hard disk partitions?
-
Fdisk.
-
...
-
This is part two of Linux commands multiple choice questions. These quizes should get you up to scratch for any Linux certificate, college module, etc. Just repeat the quiz over and over until you get 90% + and you will surely be ahead of the rest at exam time.
Quiz Preview
- 2.
What command (include applicable options) is used to initiate a change to runlevel 5?
-
Init 5. telinit 5 would also work, as they are both links to the same file.
-
...
Correct Answer
A. Init 5. telinit 5 would also work, as they are both links to the same file.Explanation
The command "init 5" is used to initiate a change to runlevel 5. This command is commonly used in Unix-like operating systems to switch to a multi-user graphical mode. The alternative command "telinit 5" can also be used, as it is a symbolic link to the same file as "init 5". Both commands will achieve the same result of transitioning to runlevel 5.Rate this question:
-
- 3.
State the syntax to direct the standard output of cmd1 directly into the standard input of cmd2.
-
Cmd1 | cmd2
-
...
Correct Answer
A. Cmd1 | cmd2Explanation
The correct answer is "cmd1 | cmd2" because the pipe symbol "|" is used to redirect the standard output of cmd1 to the standard input of cmd2. This allows the output of cmd1 to be used as the input for cmd2, enabling the two commands to be connected in a pipeline.Rate this question:
-
- 4.
What command and single required option creates a symbolic link in a Linux filesystem?
-
Ln -s
-
...
Correct Answer
A. Ln -sExplanation
The command "ln -s" creates a symbolic link in a Linux filesystem. This command is used to create a shortcut or reference to a file or directory. The "-s" option specifies that the link being created is a symbolic link.Rate this question:
-
- 5.
What are the two interrupts usually associated with a PC's onboard serial interface?
-
3 and 4.
-
...
Correct Answer
A. 3 and 4.Explanation
The two interrupts usually associated with a PC's onboard serial interface are interrupt 3 and interrupt 4. These interrupts are used to handle the communication between the serial port and the computer's CPU. Interrupt 3 is typically used for the first serial port (COM1), while interrupt 4 is used for the second serial port (COM2). These interrupts allow the CPU to be notified when data is received or when the serial port is ready to send data, enabling efficient and reliable serial communication.Rate this question:
-
- 6.
What ext2 filesystem attribute allows a process to take on the ownership of the executable file's owner?
-
SUID.
-
...
Correct Answer
A. SUID.Explanation
SUID (Set User ID) is an ext2 filesystem attribute that allows a process to take on the ownership of the executable file's owner. When SUID is set on an executable file, the process that runs the file will have the same privileges as the owner of the file, regardless of the user who executed the file. This attribute is commonly used for programs that require elevated privileges to perform certain tasks, allowing regular users to execute them without compromising system security.Rate this question:
-
- 7.
What is appended to the beginning of a command line in order to modify the execution priority of the resulting process?
-
Nice.
-
...
Correct Answer
A. Nice.Explanation
The command "nice" is appended to the beginning of a command line in order to modify the execution priority of the resulting process. By using the "nice" command, the user can adjust the priority level of a process, giving it a higher or lower priority compared to other processes running on the system. This allows the user to control the allocation of system resources and prioritize certain tasks over others.Rate this question:
-
- 8.
What two commands display the status of processes on a Linux system?
-
Ls and df
-
Ps and top
-
Ps and df
-
Df and top
-
Du and df
Correct Answer
A. Ps and topExplanation
b. Both ps and top yield process status. None of the other listed commands are related to processes.Rate this question:
-
- 9.
A process with PID 4077 is misbehaving on your system. As superuser, you enter the following command:# kill 4077However, nothing changes as a result. What can you do to terminate the process? Select one.
-
Kill -9 4077
-
Kill -1 4077
-
Kill +9 4077
-
Kill 4078
-
Kill --die 4077
Correct Answer
A. Kill -9 4077Explanation
a. kill -9 is drastic but necessary for processes unable to respond to other signals.Rate this question:
-
- 10.
Which one of the following statements correctly describes the > and >> symbols in the context of the bash shell?
-
> appends standard output to an existing file, and >> writes standard output to a new file.
-
> writes standard output to a new file, and >> appends standard output to an existing file.
-
> writes standard error to a new file, and >> appends standard error to an existing file.
-
> pipes standard output to a new file, and >> pipes standard output to an existing file.
-
> pipes standard output to an existing file and >> pipes standard error to a new file.
Correct Answer
A. > writes standard output to a new file, and >> appends standard output to an existing file.Explanation
b. The > character opens and writes to a new file, while >> appends to an existing file, unless that file doesn't exist, in which case it is opened first.Rate this question:
-
- 11.
How are the cat and tac commands related? Select one.
-
Cat displays files and tac does the same but in reverse order.
-
Cat concatenates files while tac splits a file into pieces.
-
Cat creates file catalogs while tac displays the catalogs.
-
The two commands are links to the same executable.
-
There is no relation or similarity between cat and tac.
Correct Answer
A. Cat displays files and tac does the same but in reverse order.Explanation
a. cat concatenates files, and as a subset, will list one or more files to standard output. tac lists files in reverse order.Rate this question:
-
- 12.
Which of the following is a reasonable size for a swap partition for a Linux workstation with 128 MB RAM? Select one.
-
1 KB
-
0.5 MB
-
100 MB
-
5 GB
-
10 GB
Correct Answer
A. 100 MBExplanation
A reasonable size for a swap partition for a Linux workstation with 128 MB RAM would be 100 MB. The swap partition is used as virtual memory when the physical RAM is full, allowing the system to continue running smoothly. The size of the swap partition should generally be equal to or slightly larger than the amount of RAM in the system. In this case, 100 MB is a reasonable size considering the 128 MB RAM.Rate this question:
-
- 13.
What does the & character do when placed at the end of a command?
-
It allows another command to be entered on the same line.
-
It causes the process to be stopped.
-
It restarts a stopped process.
-
It causes the process to be placed into the foreground.
-
It causes the process to be placed into the background.
Correct Answer
A. It causes the process to be placed into the background.Explanation
e. Using the & character puts a program in the background.Rate this question:
-
- 14.
Which one of the following commands is equivalent to the following command for user jdoe whose home directory is /home/jdoe?# chmod 754 ~/file1
-
Chmod u=rwx,g=rx,o=r /home/jdoe/file1
-
Chmod ugo=rwx ~/file1
-
Chmod u=7,g=5,o=4 ~/file1
-
Chmod 754 \home\jdoe\file1
-
Chmod 754 /usr/jdoe/file1
Correct Answer
A. Chmod u=rwx,g=rx,o=r /home/jdoe/file1Explanation
a. User mode 7 is the same as u=rwx, group mode 5 is the same as g=rx, and other mode 4 is the same as o=r. The ~/ syntax implies the user's home directory.Rate this question:
-
- 15.
Consider the following line of console output, excerpted from among other lines of output. Which one of the commands produced it?/dev/hda8 1.9G 559M 1.2G 30% /home
-
Du -s
-
Du -k
-
Df -h
-
Df -k
-
Df -m
Correct Answer
A. Df -hExplanation
e. A filesystem without free inodes cannot create new objects until existing objects are removed.Rate this question:
-
- 16.
Which one of the following commands could be used to change all uppercase characters to lowercase in the middle of a pipe?
-
Grep
-
Egrep
-
Wc
-
Tr
-
Pr
Correct Answer
A. TrExplanation
d. The tr program translates characters from one group into another, including case.Rate this question:
-
- 17.
Which one of the following commands copies files with the .txt extension from /dir1 into /dir2, while preserving file attributes such as dates?
-
Mv --copy /dir1/*.txt /dir2
-
Mv /dir1/*.txt /dir2
-
Cp -k /dir1/*.txt /dir2
-
Cp -p /dir1/*.txt /dir2
-
Cp -p /dir2 < /dir1/*.txt
Correct Answer
A. Cp -p /dir1/*.txt /dir2Explanation
d. The -p, or preserve, option is required to retain dates.Rate this question:
-
- 18.
What will happen when rpm is launched as follows?rpm -Uvh file
-
The RPM file will be verified.
-
An installed package may be upgraded with the version in file, with verbose output.
-
An installed package may be upgraded with the version in file, with verbose output and hash marks indicating progress.
-
An error will occur because a major mode is not specified.
-
An error will occur because no file options were specified.
Correct Answer
A. An installed package may be upgraded with the version in file, with verbose output and hash marks indicating progress.Explanation
c. Provided that file is an RPM file, the -U indicates that an upgrade should occur. -h turns on hash marks.Rate this question:
-
- 19.
Which one of the following commands verbosely extracts files from a tar archive on a magnetic tape device?
-
Tar cvf /dev/st0
-
Tar cvf /dev/ttyS0
-
Tar xvf /dev/st0
-
Tar xvf /dev/ttyS0
-
Tar rvf /dev/st0
Correct Answer
A. Tar xvf /dev/st0Explanation
c. tar should be used with the extraction option x and a tape device, such as SCSI tape /dev/st0.Rate this question:
-
- 20.
Which command will display the last lines of the text file file1?
-
Head -b file1
-
Head --bottom file1
-
Head -v file1
-
Tail file1
-
Tail -n 1 file1
Correct Answer
A. Tail file1Explanation
d. The tail command is used for checking the last lines of a text file. By default, it displays 10 lines.Rate this question:
-
- 21.
What does the "sticky bit" do? Select one.
-
It prevents files from being deleted by anyone.
-
It marks files for deletion.
-
It prevents files from being deleted by nonowners except root.
-
It prevents files from being deleted by nonowners including root.
-
It marks files for archive.
Correct Answer
A. It prevents files from being deleted by nonowners except root.Explanation
c. The sticky bit in the mode prevents deletion by non-owners, but root can still delete the file.Rate this question:
-
- 22.
Which one of the following commands would be best suited to mount a CD-ROM containing a Linux distribution, without depending on any configuration files?
-
Mount /dev/cdrom /dev/hdc
-
Mount -f linux /dev/hdc /mnt/cdrom
-
Mount -t iso9660 /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
-
Mount -t linux /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
-
Mount -t iso9660 /mnt/cdrom /dev/cdrom
Correct Answer
A. Mount -t iso9660 /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdromExplanation
c. CD-ROMs use the iso9660 filesystem, which is the default for mount, but also indicated using -t. Without the assistance of an entry in /etc/fstab, both the mount device (/dev/cdrom) and the mount point (/mnt/cdrom) must be provided.Rate this question:
-
- 23.
How are changes to the system BIOS made? Select one.
-
Using linuxconf.
-
By manually editing text files.
-
Using the lilo command.
-
At boot time using system-specific menus.
-
At boot time using LILO commands.
Correct Answer
A. At boot time using system-specific menus.Explanation
d. Linux has no control over the BIOS settings.Rate this question:
-
- 24.
What is the PID of init? Select one.
-
0
-
1
-
2
-
Undefined
-
Unknown
Correct Answer
A. 1Explanation
b. init, the grandfather of all processes, always has PID 1.Rate this question:
-
- 25.
Monica consults the /etc/passwd file expecting to find encrypted passwords for all of the users on her system. She sees the following:jdoe:x:500:500::/home/jdoe:/bin/bash bsmith:x:501:501::/home/bsmith:/bin/tcsh Which of the following is true? Select one.
-
Accounts jdoe and bsmith have no passwords.
-
Accounts jdoe and bsmith are disabled.
-
The passwords are in /etc/passwd-
-
The passwords are in /etc/shadow
-
The passwords are in /etc/shadow-
Correct Answer
A. The passwords are in /etc/shadowExplanation
d. The shadow password system has been implemented, placing all passwords in /etc/shadow as denoted by the x following the username.Rate this question:
-
- 26.
In response to the df command, the system reports a Use% of 98% for the filesystem mounted on /home. Which one of the following best describes the significance of this information?
-
Files on /home are consuming 98% of the physical disk.
-
File read/write activity on /home is consuming 98% of system I/O capacity.
-
Files on /home are consuming 98% of the /home filesystem.
-
Inodes on /home are nearly exhausted.
-
Inodes on /home are 98% free.
Correct Answer
A. Files on /home are consuming 98% of the /home filesystem.Explanation
c. df reports disk information, including a percentage of the filesystems used. Answer a is incorrect because /home may not be the only partition on the physical disk.Rate this question:
-
- 27.
Which of the following commands cannot be used to exit from vi when in command mode? Select one.
-
ZZ
-
:x
-
:q
-
:q!
-
:bye
Correct Answer
A. :byeExplanation
e. :bye is not a valid command in vi.Rate this question:
-
- 28.
With regard to the use of regular expressions to match text in a file, describe a metacharacter. Select one.
-
They are standard text characters used in the regular expression.
-
They are special control characters used in the regular expression.
-
They are used to display results after using a regular expression.
-
They are used by the shell to display graphics.
-
Metacharacters aren't used in regular expressions.
Correct Answer
A. They are special control characters used in the regular expression.Explanation
b. A metacharacter is a special character that is used to modify and control the interpretation of literals. File globbing is generally considered distinct but very similar to the use of regular expressions.Rate this question:
-
- 29.
Which one of the following file globs matches "Linux" and "linux," but not "linux.com" and not "TurboLinux"?
-
[L/linux]
-
?inux
-
\L\linux
-
[Ll]inux
-
[Ll]inux?
Correct Answer
A. [Ll]inuxExplanation
d. The [Ll] matches both letters.Rate this question:
-
- 30.
What does the device file /dev/hdb6 represent?
-
An extended partition on a SCSI disk drive
-
A logical partition on a SCSI disk drive
-
An extended partition on an IDE disk drive
-
A primary partition on an IDE disk drive
-
A logical partition on an IDE disk drive
Correct Answer
A. A logical partition on an IDE disk driveExplanation
e. IDE disk drives are referred to as /dev/hdx, where x is a, b, c, or d. Partitions are numbered from 1 through 4 for primary and extended partitions and 5 through 16 for logical partitions.Rate this question:
-
- 31.
How many IDE devices can be installed and simultaneously used in a typical Intel-based system? Select one.
-
1
-
2
-
3
-
4
-
5
Correct Answer
A. 4Explanation
d. PCs usually have two IDE interfaces, each capable of handling two devices.Rate this question:
-
- 32.
How can you query the RPM database for a list of all installed RPM packages? Select one.
-
Rpm -q
-
Rpm -qa
-
Rpm -a
-
Rpm -al
-
Rpm -qal
Correct Answer
A. Rpm -qaExplanation
b. The query mode is required, which implies -q. The -a option in query mode yields all packages.Rate this question:
-
- 33.
.Which one of the following answers creates an environment variable VAR1, present in the environment of a bash child process?
-
VAR1="fail" ; export VAR1
-
VAR1="fail" \ export VAR1
-
VAR1="fail"
-
Set VAR1="fail" ; enable VAR1
-
Export VAR1 \ VAR1="fail"
Correct Answer
A. VAR1="fail" ; export VAR1Explanation
a. The variable must be set and exported. The semicolon separates the two commands.Rate this question:
-
- 34.
Which one of the following outcomes results from the following command?# chmod g+s /home/software
-
The SUID bit will be set for /home/software.
-
The SGID bit will be set for /home/software, preventing access by those not a member of the software group.
-
The SGID bit will be set for /home/software, in order to keep group membership of the directory consistent for all files created.
-
The sticky bit will be set for /home/software.
-
The sticky bit will be applied to all files in /home/software.
Correct Answer
A. The SGID bit will be set for /home/software, in order to keep group membership of the directory consistent for all files created.Explanation
c. The g indicates that we're operating on the group privilege, and the +s indicates that we should add the "set id" bit, which means that the SGID property will be applied.Rate this question:
-
- 35.
Which one of the following utilities outputs a text file with line numbers along the left margin?
-
Tar
-
Wc
-
Tr
-
Nl
-
Ln
Correct Answer
A. NlExplanation
d. The nl command numbers lines.Rate this question:
-
- 36.
When using xdm, which of the following files can be used to start a window manager? Select one.
-
Xservers
-
Xaccess
-
Xdm-config
-
Xsession
-
Xsetup_0
Correct Answer
A. XsessionExplanation
d. Xsession is the system-wide default application startup file.Rate this question:
-
- 37.
Which one of the following key sequences is used to put a noninteractive text-mode program that is attached to the terminal into the background to allow it to continue processing?
-
Ctrl-C
-
Ctrl-B
-
Ctrl-B and then enter the bg command
-
Ctrl-Z
-
Ctrl-Z and then enter the bg command
Correct Answer
A. Ctrl-Z and then enter the bg commandExplanation
e. Ctrl-Z stops the job and gives control back to the terminal. bg places the job into the background and restarts it.Rate this question:
-
- 38.
What is contained in directory /sbin? Select the single best answer.
-
Commands needed in the event of a system emergency of interest to all system users.
-
Commands of interest to all system users.
-
Commands needed in the event of a system emergency of interest mainly to the administrator.
-
Commands of interest mainly to the administrator.
-
Libraries needed in the event of an emergency.
Correct Answer
A. Commands needed in the event of a system emergency of interest mainly to the administrator.Explanation
c. While answers b and d are technically correct, answer c best describes /sbin.Rate this question:
-
- 39.
Which of the following is the text file that contains directories where the dynamic linker should look for libraries? Select one.
-
Ld.so.conf
-
Conf.ld.so
-
Ld.so.cache
-
So.config
-
Configld
Correct Answer
A. Ld.so.confExplanation
a. ld.so.conf is the text file in which you add library directories. ld.so.cache is the binary index resulting from ldconfig.Rate this question:
-
- 40.
Which one of the following would be a consequence of a filesystem running out of inodes?
-
More inodes would be automatically created in the filesystem.
-
Quotas would become disabled on the filesystem.
-
The filesystem would be corrupted.
-
The filesystem would be marked read-only.
-
No writes would be possible on the filesystem until existing files were deleted.
Correct Answer
A. No writes would be possible on the filesystem until existing files were deleted.Explanation
c. This is an example line from the output of df -h, the "human-readable" mode of df.Rate this question:
-
- 41.
How do you use dpkg to verify the status of an installed package mypkg? Select one.
-
Dpkg -s mypkg
-
Dpkg -S mypkg
-
Dpkg -stat mypkg
-
Dpkg --stat mypkg
-
Dpkg --Status mypkg
Correct Answer
A. Dpkg -s mypkgExplanation
a. The appropriate option is either -s or --status.Rate this question:
-
- 42.
Of the following directories, which one is the most important to back up on a routine basis?
-
/var
-
/tmp
-
/usr
-
/root
-
/etc
Correct Answer
A. /etcExplanation
e. /var and /tmp are mainly transient, /usr is typically static (and should be easy to reinstall from the original OS media), /root is simply a home directory for root, but /etc contains system configuration information that frequently changes.Rate this question:
-
- 43.
An ext2 filesystem is configured with user quotas enabled. The soft limit is set at 100 MB per user, the hard limit is set at 110 MB per user, and the grace period is seven days. User bsmith already owns 90 MB of the data stored on the filesystem. What happens when bsmith writes a new file of size 30 MB? Select one.
-
The write will fail, but the superuser can recover the entire file within seven days.
-
The write will fail, and the file will be truncated permanently.
-
The write will succeed, but the file will be truncated permanently.
-
The write will succeed, but the file will be available for only seven days.
-
The write will succeed, but the file will be truncated in seven days.
Correct Answer
A. The write will fail, and the file will be truncated permanently.Explanation
b. The write will continue until the hard limit of 110 MB is reached, after which the write fails and data is lost.Rate this question:
-
- 44.
With a umask of 027, how is the initial mode set for a newly created file?
-
0750
-
0640
-
0027
-
1027
-
1640
Correct Answer
A. 0640Explanation
b. By default, files do not have the execute privilege, which rules out all responses containing odd numbers in the mode. They also do not by default have the sticky bit set, which eliminates response e. Response b is the result of masking initial bits 666 with umask 027, leaving 640, which is the same as 0640.Rate this question:
-
- 45.
Why might an administrator use the --force option for rpm?
-
To overwrite a previously installed package.
-
To overwrite a Debian package.
-
To prevent confirmation messages.
-
To force the deletion of installed packages.
-
To force the deletion of package dependencies.
Correct Answer
A. To force the deletion of installed packages.Explanation
An administrator might use the --force option for rpm to forcefully delete installed packages. This option allows the administrator to bypass any warnings or confirmation messages that would normally be displayed when attempting to delete a package. By using this option, the administrator can ensure that the package is deleted without any interruptions or prompts.Rate this question:
-
- 46.
What command can display the contents of a binary file in a readable hexadecimal form? Select one.
-
Xd
-
Hd
-
Od
-
Xd
-
Dump
Correct Answer
A. OdExplanation
c. The octal dump program, when used with the -t x option, will output in hexadecimal notation.Rate this question:
-
- 47.
Which file contains information on the I/O port assignments in use? Select one.
-
/dev/ioports
-
/etc/ioports
-
/etc/sysconfig/ioports
-
/etc/proc/ioports
-
/proc/ioports
Correct Answer
A. /proc/ioportsExplanation
The correct answer is /proc/ioports. The /proc/ioports file contains information on the I/O port assignments in use. This file is a virtual file system that provides an interface to kernel data structures, allowing users to access information about various system resources. In the case of I/O port assignments, this file specifically lists the ranges of I/O ports that are currently in use by devices on the system.Rate this question:
-
- 48.
Alex is currently working in a directory containing only one file, Afile1. What is displayed after the following commands are entered in bash?# MYVAR=ls # echo $MYVAR "$MYVAR" '$MYVAR' '$MYVAR'
-
Afile1 Afile1 Afile1 Afile1
-
Ls Afile1 Afile1 Afile1
-
Ls ls Afile1 Afile1
-
Ls ls $MYVAR Afile1
-
Ls ls ls $MYVAR
Correct Answer
A. Ls ls $MYVAR Afile1Explanation
d. The first echo argument is unquoted and thus returns its contents, ls. The second is quoted with double quotes, which do not preserve the $, so it too returns ls. The third is quoted with single quotes, which do preserve the $, so it returns the string $MYVAR. The last argument is backquoted, which means that it returns the result of the command stored in $MYVAR. The command is ls, which displays the only file in the directory, Afile1.Rate this question:
-
- 49.
Which one of the following is an accurate statement regarding this regular expression?[^1-8A-Za-z]
-
It matches all letters and numbers.
-
It matches all letters and numbers except 9.
-
It matches all letters and numbers except 9 and 0, but only at the beginning of a line.
-
It matches 9, 0, and other nonletter and nonnumber characters.
-
It matches characters other than letters or numbers.
Correct Answer
A. It matches 9, 0, and other nonletter and nonnumber characters.Explanation
d. Brackets ([ ]) are used to group a character set consisting of numbers 18 and characters A-Z and a-z. The ^ just inside the opening bracket negates the whole string, such that the string matches numbers 0, 9, and symbols.Rate this question:
-
Quiz Review Timeline (Updated): Mar 21, 2023 +
Our quizzes are rigorously reviewed, monitored and continuously updated by our expert board to maintain accuracy, relevance, and timeliness.
-
Current Version
-
Mar 21, 2023Quiz Edited by
ProProfs Editorial Team -
Aug 19, 2010Quiz Created by
Mariiikar
Back to top