010-160 LPI Linux Essentials Certificate Exam - version 1.6 Free Practice Exam Questions (2025 Updated)

The sort command is used to sort the lines of a file or a stream of input according to a specified criterion, such as alphabetical order, numerical order, reverse order, etc. By default, the sort command sorts the lines in ascending alphabetical order, using the firstcharacter of each line as the key. For example, the command sort data.csv will sort the lines of the file data.csv in alphabetical order and display the output on the screen. If you want to save the sorted output to a new file, you can use the redirection operator (>) to specify the output file name. For example, the command sort data.csv > sorted_data.csv will sort the lines of the file data.csv in alphabetical order and save the output to a new file named sorted_data.csv. The other commands are either invalid or do not perform the sorting operation. The a…z command does not exist, the abc command is a text editor, the wc command counts the number of words, lines, and bytes in a file, and the grep command searches for a pattern in a file or a stream of input. Therefore, the correct answer is B. References:

Linux Essentials - Linux Professional Institute (LPI), section 2.3.2

LPI Linux Essentials Study Guide: Exam 010 v1.6, 3rd Edition, chapter 4, page 95.

 In Linux, every file and directory is associated with an owner and a group. The owner is the user who created the file or directory, and the group is the group to which the owner belongs. Therefore, each file is owned by exactly one user and one group. This is true for option A. The other options are false for the following reasons:

Option B: The owner of a file does not always have full permissions when accessing the file. The permissions are determined by the file mode, which can be changed by the owner or the root user. The file mode specifies the read, write, and execute permissions for the owner, the group, and others. The owner can have different permissions than the group or others.

Option C: The user owning a file does not have to be a member of the file’s group. The owner can change the group ownership of the file to any group on the system, regardless of whether the owner belongs to that group or not. However, only the root user or a user with the CAP_CHOWN capability can change the group ownership to a group that the owner is not a member of.

Option D: When a user is deleted, all files owned by the user do not disappear. The files remain on the system, but their owner is changed to an invalid user ID (UID). The files can still be accessed by the group or others, depending on the permissions. The files can also be reclaimed by the root user or a user with the CAP_CHOWN capability, who can change the owner to a valid user.

Option E: The owner of a file can be changed once it is assigned to an owner. The owner can transfer the ownership to another user, or the root user or a user with the CAP_CHOWN capability can change the owner to any user on the system. The command to change the owner of a file is chown. References: 1: Chown Command in Linux (File Ownership) | Linuxize 2 3: Linux File Permissions and Ownership Explained with Examples 4 2: 3 Ways to Find File Owner in Linux - howtouselinux 1

The backslash character () is used to escape the meaning of the next character in a command line. This means that the next character is treated as a literal character, not as a special character. For example, if you want to use a space in a file name, you can use a backslash before the space to prevent the shell from interpreting it as a separator. Similarly, if you want to split a long command line across multiple lines, you can use a backslash at the end of each line to tell the shell that the command is not finished yet. The shell will ignore the newline character and continue reading the next line as part of the same command. For example, you can write:

ls -l/home/user/Documents

instead of:

ls -l /home/user/Documents

Both commands will produce the same output, but the first one is easier to read and type. References:

Linux Essentials - Linux Professional Institute (LPI), section 2.1.2

2.1 Command Line Basics - Linux Professional Institute Certification Programs, slide 7.

 Reverse DNS lookups query DNS servers for a PTR (pointer) record; if the server does not have a PTR record, it cannot resolve a reverse lookup. PTR records store IP addresses with their segments reversed, and they append “.in-addr.arpa” to that. For example, if a domain has an IP address of 192.0.2.1, the PTR record will store the domain’s information under 1.2.0.192.in-addr.arpa. In IPv6, the latest version of the Internet Protocol, PTR records are stored within the “.ip6.arpa” domain instead of ".in-addr.arpa."1 Therefore, the name of the IP address 198.51.100.165 is stored in the PTR record for 165.100.51.198.in-addr.arpa. References: 1: Reverse DNS lookup - Wikipedia 1

The execute bit in Linux is a permission bit that allows the user to run an executable file or enter a directory. For regular files, such as scripts or binaries, the execute bit must be set for the user to run them. For directories, the execute bit allows the user to access the files and subdirectories inside. Therefore, to successfully execute the script test.sh, the execute bit should be set in the file’s permissions. This can be done by using the chmod command with the +x option, for example: chmod +x test.sh. The other options are either irrelevant or incorrect. The file’s extension does not affect its executability, only its association with a program. The user executing the script does not need to be in the exec group, as long as the user has the execute permission on the file. The SetUID bit is a special permission bit that allows the user to run the file as the file’s owner, regardless of the user’s identity. This is not necessary for executing the script, and may pose a security risk. The #!./test.sh syntax is invalid, as the #! is used to specify the interpreter for the script, not the script itself. References:

Linux Essentials Version 1.6 Objectives1, Topic 1.4: Command Line Basics, Subtopic: Basic Shell Commands

Linux Essentials Version 1.6 Exam Preparation Guide2, Section 1.4: Command Line Basics, Page 16

Execute vs Read bit. How do directory permissions in Linux work?3

 In an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) cloud, the provider offers virtualized computing resources such as servers, storage, and network over the internet. The user can provision and manage these resources according to their needs. One of the common ways to provision a new Linux computing instance in an IaaS cloud is to use a pre-prepared image of a Linux distribution provided by the cloud hosting organization. An image is a snapshot of a virtual machine that contains the operating system and other software components. The user can choose from a variety of images that suit their requirements and launch a new instance from the image. This way, the user does not have to install and configure the Linux operating system from scratch, which saves time and effort. Some examples of cloud hosting organizations that provide pre-prepared images of popular Linux distributions are Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and DigitalOcean. References: Linux Essentials - Topic 108: Cloud Computing and Linux Essentials - Topic 108: Cloud Computing - Exam Objectives

 Linux hardware drivers are software components that enable the Linux kernel to communicate with various devices, such as keyboards, mice, printers, scanners, network cards, etc. Drivers are either compiled into the Linux kernel or are loaded as kernel modules. Kernel modules are pieces of code that can be loaded and unloaded into the kernelon demand. They extend the functionality of the kernel without requiring to rebuild or reboot the system. Drivers that are compiled into the kernel are always available, but they increase the size and complexity of the kernel. Drivers that are loaded as kernel modules are only available when needed, but they require a matching version of the kernel and the module. Linux supports a large number of hardware devices, thanks to the efforts of the open source community and some vendors who provide drivers for their products. However, some devices may not have a driver available for Linux, or may require a proprietary driver that is not included in the Linux distribution. In such cases, the user may need to install the driver manually from the vendor’s website or from a third-party repository. References:

Linux Essentials - Linux Professional Institute (LPI), section 2.2.1

LPI Linux Essentials Study Guide: Exam 010 v1.6, 3rd Edition, chapter 3, page 67.

The grep command is used to search for a pattern in a file or input. The -i option makes the search case-insensitive, meaning that it will match both uppercase and lowercase letters. The grep command takes the pattern as the first argument and the file name as the second argument. Therefore, the command grep -i linux operating-systems.txt will find all lines in the file operating-systems.txt which contain the term linux, regardless of the case. References: Linux Essentials - Topic 103: Finding Linux Documentation and Linux Essentials - Topic 104: Command Line Basics

Linux passwords are not stored in plain text, but in a scrambled or encrypted form known as a hash. A hash is a one-way function that transforms a string of characters into a fixed-length value. The same input always produces the same hash, but it is impossible to reverse the process and recover the original input from the hash. This way, the system can verify the user’s password without exposing it to anyone who can read the file where the hashes are stored. The file that contains the password hashes is /etc/shadow, which is only readable by the root user or members of the shadow group. The passwd utility is used to change the user’s password, which updates the hash in the /etc/shadow file. References: Linux Essentials 1.6 Topic 105: Security and File Permissions, How to Change Account Passwords on Linux, Where is my password stored on Linux?

A Linux distribution is a collection of software that is based on the Linux kernel and can be installed on a computer or a device to create a functional operating system. A Linux distribution typically includes the Linux kernel, a set of system utilities and libraries, a graphical user interface (GUI), a package manager, and various applications and services. A Linux distribution may also include additional software or features that are specific to the distribution’s goals, target audience, or philosophy. For example, some Linux distributions are designed for desktop users, while others are optimized for servers, embedded systems, or security. Some Linux distributions are based on other Linux distributions, while others are developed independently. Some Linux distributions are free and open source, while others are proprietary or commercial. Some Linux distributions are popular and widely used, while others are niche or experimental. Some examples of Linux distributions are Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, Mint, Arch, and Red Hat. References:

Linux Essentials Topic 101: System Architecture, section 101.1: Determine and configure hardware settings.

Linux Essentials Topic 102: Linux Installation and Package Management, section 102.1: Design hard disk layout.

Linux Essentials Topic 103: GNU and Unix Commands, section 103.1: Work on the command line.

Linux Essentials Topic 104: The Linux Operating System, section 104.1: Boot the system.

Linux Essentials Topic 105: The Power of the Command Line, section 105.1: Use text streams and filters.

Linux Essentials Topic 106: Security and File Permissions, section 106.3: Modify file and directory permissions.

What is a Linux distribution? - Linux.com

Linux distribution - Wikipedia

Best Linux Distributions For Everyone in 2023 - It’s FOSS

The host command is used to resolve a DNS name to an IP address or vice versa. It can also perform other DNS queries, such as finding the mail servers for a domain. The host command has the following syntax: host [options] [name] [server]. The name argument can be a hostname, such as www.lpi.org, or an IP address, such as 192.168.0.1. The server argument is optional and specifies the name or IP address of the DNS server to query. If no server is given, the default system resolver is used.  References:

Linux Essentials Version 1.6 Objectives: 1.4.1. Demonstrate an understanding of the purpose and types of DNS records1

Linux Essentials Version 1.6 Exam Study Resources: Linux Essentials Manual - Chapter 10. Network Fundamentals - 10.3. DNS and Hostname Resolution - 10.3.1. The host Command2

Linux Essentials Version 1.6 Exam Study Resources: Linux Essentials Manual - Appendix A. Answers to the Exercises - Chapter 10. Network Fundamentals - 10.3. DNS and Hostname Resolution - Exercise 10.3.12

The distribution’s package repository is the preferred source for the installation of new applications in a Linux based operating system. A package repository is a collection of software packages that are maintained by the distribution and can be easily installed, updated, or removed using a package manager. Package repositories offer several advantages, such as:

They ensure compatibility and stability with the system and other packages.

They provide security updates and bug fixes for the packages.

They reduce the risk of malware or corrupted files.

They simplify the dependency management and configuration of the packages.

The other sources are not preferred because they may not offer these benefits and may cause problems with the system. The vendor’s version management system, the vendor’s website, or a CD-ROM disk may contain packages that are not compatible with the distribution or may conflict with other packages. A retail store may not have the latest or the most suitable packages for the system. References:

Linux Essentials - Linux Professional Institute (LPI), section 1.3 Installing, Updating and Removing Software Packages

LPI Linux Essentials Study Guide: Exam 010 v1.6, 3rd Edition, chapter 4 Working on the Command Line, section 4.2 Managing Software

Table of Contents - Linux Professional Institute Certification Programs, section 1.3 Installing, Updating and Removing Software Packages

The correct command to change the ownership of the file doku.odt to a new owner named tux is chown tux doku.odt. This command uses the chown command, which stands for change owner, followed by the name of the new owner and the name of the file as arguments. The chown command allows you to change the user and/or group ownership of a given file, directory, or symbolic link12. The other options are incorrect because they use different commands or syntax that do not change the ownership of the file. For example:

Option A uses the chmod command, which stands for change mode, and is used to change the permissions of files and directories, not the ownership3.

Option B uses the newuser command, which is used to create a new user account, not to change the ownership of a file4.

Option D uses the transfer command, which is not a valid Linux command.

Option E uses the passwd command, which is used to change the password of a user account, not the ownership of a file5.

References: 1: Chown Command in Linux (File Ownership) | Linuxize 2: chown command in Linux with Examples - GeeksforGeeks 3: Chmod Command in Linux (File Permissions) | Linuxize 4: newusers(8) - Linux man page 5: passwd(1) - Linux man page

The files /etc/passwd and /etc/group are the source of the information in the following output:

uid=1000 (bob) gid=1000 (bob) groups=1000 (bob), 10 (wheel), 150 (docker), 1001 (libvirt) (wireshark), 989

The /etc/passwd file contains information about user accounts, such as the username, password, user ID (UID), group ID (GID), full name, home directory, and login shell1. The /etc/group file contains information about groups, such as the group name, password, group ID (GID), and members2.

The output shows the UID, GID, and group membership of the user bob. The UID and GID of bob are 1000, which can be found in the /etc/passwd file. The groups that bob belongs to are bob, wheel, docker, libvirt, wireshark, and 989, which can be found in the /etc/group file. The group names are shown in parentheses after the GID, except for the last group, which has no name.

The other options are not files that store user and group information in Linux. The /etc/id file does not exist by default. The /home/index file is not a standard file and has no relation to user and group information. The /var/db/users file is not a standard file and has no relation to user and group information. References:

Linux Essentials Exam Objectives, Version 1.6, Topic 103.1, Weight 2

Linux Essentials Certification Guide, Chapter 3, Page 51-52

Linux Filesystem Hierarchy, Chapter 3, Page 17-18

Linux Users and Groups, Chapter 2, Page 9-10

A process ID on Linux is a unique integer value that identifies a running process. The process ID can range from 0 to a maximum limit, which is usually 32768 or higher, depending on the system configuration. The process ID of 0 is reserved for the kernel’s idle task, and the process ID of 1 is reserved for the init system, which is the first process launched by the kernel. The process IDs are assigned sequentially to new processes, and are recycled when a process terminates. Therefore, the only valid value for a process ID among the given options is 21398, which is an integer within the possible range. The other values are not valid process IDs because they are either strings, hexadecimal numbers, or file paths, which do not match the format of a process ID on Linux. References:

Linux Essentials - Linux Professional Institute (LPI)

How Are Linux PIDs Generated? | Baeldung on Linux

Most commands on Linux can display information on their usage by running the command with the option -h or --help. This option shows a brief summary of the command syntax, options, arguments, and examples. For example, running ls -h or ls --help will display the usage information for the ls command, which lists files and directories. The -h or --help option is a standard convention for most Linux commands, and it is useful for learning how to use a command or checking its available options. However, some commands may not support this option, or may use a different option to display usage information. In that case, you can use the man command to access the manual page for the command, which provides more detailed information on the command usage, description, options, arguments, examples, and references. For example, running man ls will display the manual page for the ls command. The man command is one of the applications covered in the Linux Essentials certification program from the Linux Professional Institute (LPI). References:

Linux Essentials - Linux Professional Institute (LPI)

Linux Commands Cheat Sheet: Beginner to Advanced - GeeksforGeeks

The general structure of a for loop in a shell script is as follows12:

for variable in list do commands done

The variable is the name of a loop counter or iterator that takes on the values of the items in the list. The list can be a sequence of words, numbers, filenames, or the output of a command. The commands are the body of the loop that are executed for each value of the variable. The do and done keywords mark the beginning and the end of the loop body.

The option C. for file in *.txt do echo $i done follows this structure, with the variable being file, the list being *.txt (which matches all the files with the .txt extension in the current directory), and the command being echo $i (which prints the value of the variable i, which is presumably set somewhere else in the script).

The other options are incorrect because:

A. for *.txt as file => echo $file uses an invalid syntax for a for loop. The as keyword is not part of the shell script syntax, and the => symbol is not a valid operator. The correct way to write this loop would be:

for file in *.txt do echo $file done

B. for *.txt ( echo $i ) uses an invalid syntax for a for loop. The parentheses are not part of the shell script syntax, and the loop body is missing the do and done keywords. The correct way to write this loop would be:

for i in *.txt do echo $i done

D. for ls *.txt exec {} ; uses an invalid syntax for a for loop. The ls command is not a valid variable name, and the exec {} ; is not a valid command. This looks like a mix of a for loop and a find command. The correct way to write this loop would be:

for file in *.txt do exec $file done

E. foreach @{file} { echo $i } uses an invalid syntax for a for loop. The foreach keyword is not part of the shell script syntax, and the @{file} and { echo $i } are not valid expressions. This looks like a mix of a for loop and a Perl syntax. The correct way to write this loop would be:

for file in * do echo $file done

References:

Looping Statements | Shell Script - GeeksforGeeks

How do I write a ‘for’ loop in Bash? - Stack Overflow

The chmod command is used to change the permissions of files and directories. The permissions are represented by three sets of three characters, indicating the permissions for the owner, the group, and the others. Each character can be either r (read), w (write), x (execute), or - (no permission). The chmod command can use either symbolic or numeric mode to specify the permissions. In this question, the numeric mode is used, which consists of three digits from 0 to 7. Each digit is the sum of the permissions for each set, where r is 4, w is 2, and x is 1. For example, 7 means rwx, 6 means rw-, and 4 means r–. Therefore, the command chmod 654 file.txt sets the permissions as follows:

The first digit 6 means rw- for the owner, which means the owner can read and write the file, but not execute it.

The second digit 5 means r-x for the group, which means the group can read and execute the file, but not write it.

The third digit 4 means r-- for the others, which means the others can only read the file, but not write or execute it.

The resulting permissions are -rw-r-xr–, which is the correct answer. The other options are incorrect because they either have the wrong permissions or the wrong file type. A regular file does not have the d (directory) prefix, and a directory cannot have the - (no file type) prefix. References:

Linux Essentials Version 1.6 Objectives: 4.1. Ownership and Permissions1

Linux Essentials Version 1.6 Exam Study Resources: Linux Essentials Manual - Chapter 8. Security and File Permissions - 8.1. Ownership and Permissions - 8.1.1. The chmod Command2

Linux Essentials Version 1.6 Exam Study Resources: Linux Essentials Manual - Appendix A. Answers to the Exercises - Chapter 8. Security and File Permissions - 8.1. Ownership and Permissions - Exercise 8.1.12

A vector graphics editor is a software program that allows users to create and edit vector graphics, which are images composed of mathematical curves and shapes. Vector graphics are scalable, meaning they can be resized without losing quality or clarity. Python, NGINX, Samba, and MySQL are not vector graphics editors, but rather other types of software. Python is a programming language, NGINX is a web server, Samba is a file and print server, and MySQL is a database management system. Inkscape is a free and open source vector graphics editor that supports the SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) format, as well as other formats. Inkscape can be used to create logos, icons, diagrams, illustrations, and other graphics. Inkscape is one of the applications covered in the Linux Essentials certification program from the Linux Professional Institute (LPI). References:

Linux Essentials - Linux Professional Institute (LPI)

Draw Freely | Inkscape