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Free Linux Essentials practice exam 2026: 20 questions without signup

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5 domains 885 questions 60 min exam
Questions on the exam
40
Time allowed
60 minutes format →
Passing score
500 of 800 — vendor, checked October 6, 2026 detail →
Exam fee
$120 — vendor, checked October 6, 2026 detail →

885 practice exam questions for LPI Linux Essentials (010-160), grouped by exam domain. Every question below shows all four options, which one is correct, and why each of the other three is not — the wrong answers are where most candidates lose marks.

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Questions by domain

Sample questions

red blue: What is the standard output?

Finding Your Way on a Linux System Medium
Run this complete snippet in Bash with no startup files. Show standard output excluding the final newline.label='red blue' printf '%s\n' "$label"What is the standard output?
  1. $label
    The dollar expression is expanded because it appears inside double quotes, not single quotes.
  2. red blue blue
    The variable contains only one value, so expansion cannot duplicate the word blue.
  3. red blue ✓
    Double quotes expand label while preserving its embedded space as part of one printf argument.
  4. red
    The quoted expansion preserves the space, so the value is not reduced to its first word.
The trap
Treats double quotes as literal single quotes. Invents duplication during ordinary parameter expansion. Overlooks that double quotes preserve embedded spaces.

All 199 Finding Your Way on a Linux System questions →

tar -cf training.tar report.txt notes.txt: Which GNU tar command creates `training.tar` containing both files?

The Power of the Command Line Hard
On a shared training server, the current directory contains `report.txt` and `notes.txt`. Which GNU tar command creates `training.tar` containing both files?
  1. tar -czf report.txt notes.txt training.tar
    This treats `report.txt` as the archive filename and does not specify the requested output archive correctly.
  2. tar -cf training.tar report.txt notes.txt ✓
    The `-c` option creates an archive, and `-f` supplies its filename before the listed input files.
  3. tar -xvf training.tar report.txt notes.txt
    The `-x` operation extracts from an archive rather than creating a new archive.
  4. tar -tf training.tar report.txt notes.txt
    The `-t` operation lists archive members and does not bundle the supplied files.
The trap
Listing mode only inspects archive contents. The archive filename follows `-f` and must be training.tar. Extraction mode cannot create the requested archive.

All 197 The Power of the Command Line questions →

A stable release with an appropriate support lifecycle: Which choice best fits?

The Linux Operating System Easy
A help desk team needs an operating-system release for a production workstation, prioritizing predictable behavior and vendor support over early feature testing. Which choice best fits?
  1. A nightly development build intended for experimentation.
    Development builds prioritize ongoing changes and testing rather than predictable production behavior.
  2. A beta release chosen to obtain features before the stable release.
    Beta releases are intended for pre-release testing, not the stated priority of production predictability.
  3. A stable release with an appropriate support lifecycle. ✓
    A stable release is intended for predictable normal use, and its support lifecycle suits ongoing production needs.
  4. The release with the lowest purchase price, regardless of compatibility.
    Price alone does not establish hardware, application, support, or operational suitability.
The trap
Prioritizes early features over production stability Confuses experimentation builds with production releases Treats cost as the only selection criterion

All 178 The Linux Operating System questions →

`awk -F: '$3==0{print$1}' /etc/passwd`: Which command satisfies that goal?

Security and File Permissions Medium
On a Bash GNU/Linux research server, you need the account name or names recorded in `/etc/passwd` with numeric UID 0. Which command satisfies that goal?
  1. `id --user --name "$USER"`
    This prints the current user's name rather than searching every `/etc/passwd` record for UID 0.
  2. `getent passwd | cut --delimiter=: --fields=1`
    This lists account names from the passwd database but does not filter records by numeric UID.
  3. `grep --extended-regexp '^root:' /etc/passwd`
    This searches specifically for the username `root` and can miss another name assigned UID 0.
  4. `awk -F: '$3==0{print$1}' /etc/passwd` ✓
    The command tests the third colon-separated field, the UID, and prints the first field for matching records.
The trap
Treats current-user output as a complete UID search. Assumes UID 0 must use one particular username. Confuses listing names with selecting UID-zero records.

All 156 Security and File Permissions questions →

cat /etc/os-release: Which command identifies the installed distribution?

The Linux Community and a Career in Open Source Easy
Bash is running on a small-office workstation. The exhibit shows: /etc/os-release exists and contains NAME="Example Linux". Which command identifies the installed distribution?
  1. cat /etc/os-release ✓
    This displays the standard file containing distribution-identification fields.
  2. ps
    This lists running processes, not the installed distribution.
  3. ls -l /boot
    This lists boot files but does not directly identify the distribution.
  4. uname -a reports kernel details
    This reports kernel and system information, not the distribution name in /etc/os-release.
The trap
Confuses processes with operating-system identity. Confuses boot files with distribution information. Confuses the Linux kernel with the complete distribution.

All 155 The Linux Community and a Career in Open Source questions →

man 5 passwd: Which command selects the correct manual section?

Finding Your Way on a Linux System Medium
On a development laptop, the administrator wants the manual page describing the `/etc/passwd` file format, not the `passwd` command. Which command selects the correct manual section?
  1. man 5 passwd ✓
    Section 5 contains file formats, so this explicitly selects the passwd file-format manual page.
  2. man 1 passwd
    Section 1 documents user commands, so this selects the passwd command documentation.
  3. man -k passwd
    The -k search finds matching manual descriptions rather than opening a specific file-format page.
  4. man passwd
    Without a section number, man chooses according to its normal search order, not explicitly file format.
The trap
Assumes the default section is always the file format. Confuses command section one with file section five. Confuses manual searching with section selection.

All 199 Finding Your Way on a Linux System questions →

2: What standard output results from `grep -v '^#' names.txt | wc -l` when exactly one line begins with `#`?

The Power of the Command Line Easy
On a remote Linux guest, the file `names.txt` contains exactly three newline-terminated lines. What standard output results from `grep -v '^#' names.txt | wc -l` when exactly one line begins with `#`?
  1. 0
    Two nonmatching lines remain, so the pipeline does not produce an empty input.
  2. 3
    That would count all original lines, including the line removed by `grep -v`.
  3. 1
    That would count the excluded comment line rather than the lines passed through the pipeline.
  4. 2 ✓
    `grep -v` removes the matching comment line, and `wc -l` counts the two remaining newline characters.
The trap
The matching line does not reach `wc`. Inversion excludes matching lines from downstream input. Nonmatching lines are retained by inverted matching.

All 197 The Power of the Command Line questions →

RAM used as working memory: Which component is described?

The Linux Operating System Medium
In a classroom exercise, a program is running, its working data is held in a component that loses its contents when power is removed, and the program is currently using that data. Which component is described?
  1. An SSD used for persistent storage.
    An SSD retains stored data without power, so it is not volatile working memory.
  2. RAM used as working memory. ✓
    RAM holds active program data while powered and is volatile when power is removed.
  3. The power supply unit.
    A power supply provides electrical power; it does not hold the program's working data.
  4. The motherboard firmware.
    Firmware is stored persistently and is not the ordinary volatile workspace for running programs.
The trap
Confuses persistent firmware with temporary program memory. Confuses persistent storage with volatile working memory. Confuses supplying power with storing active data.

All 178 The Linux Operating System questions →

Linux Essentials exam: the facts

How many questions are on the Linux Essentials exam?

40, as published by the exam vendor.

How long is the Linux Essentials exam?

60 minutes. Across 40 questions that is about 90 seconds per question.

What topics does the Linux Essentials exam cover?

5 domains: Finding Your Way on a Linux System, The Power of the Command Line, The Linux Operating System, Security and File Permissions, The Linux Community and a Career in Open Source. Weights: Finding Your Way on a Linux System 22.5%, The Power of the Command Line 22.5%, The Linux Operating System 20%, Security and File Permissions 17.5%, The Linux Community and a Career in Open Source 17.5%.

How many Linux Essentials practice exam questions does Certsqill have?

885, spread across 5 exam domains. Every one shows all options, which is correct, and why each of the others is not.

Would you pass Linux Essentials today?

Five minutes, and you get a score per domain — not one number, but which section to open tonight.

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Certsqill Linux Essentials question bank · 885 questions across 5 domains · Every answer, right and wrong, comes with its own explanation.