Linux Essentials Finding Your Way on a Linux System: 199 practice questions

12 of the 199 Finding Your Way on a Linux System questions in the Certsqill Linux Essentials bank, shown in full below. Each one carries an explanation for every option, not just the correct one — the wrong answers are where the marks go.

Preparing for Linux Essentials? Take the free 5-min readiness check →

1. red blue: 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.

Double quotes expand the variable while preserving the space inside its value.

2. man 5 passwd: 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.

Use section 5 for file formats: `man 5 passwd`.

3. cd ../notes: What should they run instead?

1. cd /notes

   `/notes` is an absolute path under the filesystem root, not under `/home/lee`.
2. cd ~/projects/notes

   This names `/home/lee/projects/notes`, not `/home/lee/notes`.
3. cd ../notes ✓

   From `/home/lee/projects`, `..` refers to `/home/lee`; adding `notes` reaches `/home/lee/notes`.
4. cd ./notes

   `./notes` refers to `notes` inside the current `/home/lee/projects` directory.

Use `..` to leave `projects`, then enter `notes`.

4. cp report.txt archive/: Which command does that?

1. mv report.txt archive/

   mv relocates the file into archive, so the original pathname no longer remains.
2. mkdir archive/report.txt

   mkdir attempts to create a directory, not duplicate the existing regular file.
3. cp report.txt archive/ ✓

   cp creates a second copy in archive while leaving the original report.txt unchanged.
4. rm report.txt archive/

   rm removes names rather than creating a duplicate, and archive is a directory.

Use `cp` to duplicate the file and preserve the original pathname.

5. alpha beta: What is the standard output?

1. label=alpha beta

   The assignment itself is not printed; printf expands the variable and prints only its value.
2. beta

   The variable contains both words, so printf receives and prints the complete value.
3. alpha

   The quoted variable expansion preserves the embedded space; it does not discard the second word.
4. alpha beta ✓

   Single quotes assign the two-word value literally, and double quotes preserve it as one printf argument.

Quoted assignment and expansion preserve the complete two-word value.

6. man -k password: On a GNU/Linux system with the standard manual database installed, which command searches man

1. man -k password ✓

   The `-k` option searches manual descriptions for a keyword and displays matching manual entries.
2. man password

   This opens a manual page named password rather than searching descriptions for related entries.
3. info password

   This opens an Info document named password when available, without searching manual descriptions.
4. man -f password

   The `-f` option requests a brief description of a named manual page.

`man -k` searches manual-page descriptions by keyword.

7. cd: Which command moves to its parent directory with the least disruption?

1. cd ~

   This changes to the current user's home directory, not necessarily the current directory's immediate parent.
2. pwd ..

   `pwd` reports the current directory and does not change directories or accept a destination.
3. cd .. ✓

   The special path `..` names the current directory's parent, so this changes to `/home/student/projects`.
4. cd /

   This changes to the filesystem root, moving much farther than the requested single parent level.

`..` denotes the parent directory in a relative path.

8. cp -r project backup: Which command copies the directory and its contents to `backup` while leaving `project`

1. mv project backup

   `mv` moves or renames `project` instead of retaining the original directory as a copy.
2. cp -r project backup ✓

   Recursive `cp` copies the directory and its contents to the new `backup` destination while retaining `project`.
3. cp project backup

   Without recursive copying, `cp` cannot copy a directory and its contents as requested.
4. mkdir project backup

   `mkdir` creates directories but does not copy the existing files or directory contents.

Recursive `cp` copies a directory and its contents.

9. north south: What is the standard output?

1. label=north south

   The assignment is not printed; printf outputs the expanded value stored in label.
2. south

   The expansion prints the complete variable value, not only its final word.
3. north

   The variable contains two words, and quoting prevents the embedded space from separating or removing the second.
4. north south ✓

   The single-quoted assignment preserves both words, and the quoted expansion prints them with their space.

The quoted value expands to the complete text `north south`.

10. The manual searches forward for `shell`: What happens?

1. The manual searches forward for `shell`. ✓

   In the `less` pager, `/pattern` searches forward for the specified text.
2. The manual displays the next manual page.

   Manual-page navigation is not performed by entering a slash followed by a search term.
3. The command searches every file named `shell`.

   The search occurs inside the displayed manual text, not across filesystem filenames.
4. The manual closes immediately.

   The `q` key quits the `less` pager; entering a slash begins a search instead.

In the `less` pager, `/shell` searches forward within the displayed manual.

11. `cd ~` normally changes to `/home/volunteer`: Select TWO true statements about these commands.

Select two. More than one option is correct — every correct one is ticked below.

1. `cd ~` normally changes to `/home/volunteer`. ✓

   An unquoted tilde at the start of a word expands to the current user's home directory.
2. `cd '~'` passes a literal tilde as the directory name. ✓

   Single quotes prevent tilde expansion, so Bash passes the character `~` literally.
3. `cd "~"` expands the tilde to the home directory.

   Double quotes preserve the tilde literally; tilde expansion occurs when it is unquoted at the beginning of a word.
4. `cd '~'` ignores the argument and uses the home directory.

   The single-quoted argument remains literal, so Bash attempts to enter a directory actually named `~`.
5. `cd ~` changes to the filesystem root.

   The filesystem root is `/`; an unquoted tilde expands to the current user's home directory.

An unquoted tilde expands at word start; a quoted tilde remains literal.

12. rmdir logs: Which command removes this empty directory?

1. touch logs

   `touch` updates or creates files; it does not remove an existing directory.
2. cd logs

   `cd` enters the directory and does not remove it from the filesystem.
3. rm logs

   Plain `rm` removes files, but it does not remove a directory without a recursive directory option.
4. rmdir logs ✓

   `rmdir` removes directories when they are empty, matching the stated directory condition.

`rmdir` removes an empty directory.

Other Linux Essentials domains

• The Power of the Command Line — 197 questions →
• The Linux Operating System — 178 questions →
• Security and File Permissions — 156 questions →
• The Linux Community and a Career in Open Source — 155 questions →
• All 885 Linux Essentials questions →
• Linux Essentials certification: requirements, cost and exam format →