LCA Shell Scripting & Automation 3

Question 1

Which operator is used for arithmetic expansion in bash?

Accepted Answer

$(( ))

Answer

The `$(( ))` syntax performs arithmetic expansion and is the preferred POSIX-compatible method.

Question 2

How do you redirect both stdout and stderr to the same file in bash?

Accepted Answer

command &> file

Answer

`&>` is bash shorthand for redirecting both stdout (fd 1) and stderr (fd 2) to the same destination.

Question 3

What does `command -v ls` return when `ls` is found in PATH?

Accepted Answer

The full path or alias of ls

Answer

`command -v` prints the resolved path or alias for a command, making it useful for checking if a command exists.

Question 4

In a bash script, which syntax correctly passes an array as individual arguments to a function?

Accepted Answer

func "${arr[@]}"

Answer

`"${arr[@]}"` expands each array element as a separate quoted word, preserving elements with spaces.

Question 5

What is the purpose of `exec 3>&1` in a bash script?

Accepted Answer

Saves the current stdout to file descriptor 3

Answer

`exec 3>&1` duplicates stdout to fd 3, allowing you to save and later restore the original stdout.

(LCA) Certified Linux Administrator Practice Test