Linux+ Linux+ Bash Scripting and Automation 2

Question 1

Which construct is used to iterate over each line of a file in a Bash script?

Accepted Answer

while IFS= read -r line; do ... done < file.txt

Answer

The while read loop with input redirection (<) is the correct and safe idiom for reading files line by line in Bash.

Question 2

What does the special variable $? represent in a Bash script?

Accepted Answer

The exit status of the last executed command

Answer

$? holds the exit status (return code) of the most recently executed foreground command, where 0 means success.

Question 3

Which Bash operator sends standard error to the same destination as standard output?

Accepted Answer

2>&1

Answer

2>&1 redirects file descriptor 2 (stderr) to wherever file descriptor 1 (stdout) is currently pointing.

Question 4

In a Bash case statement, what symbol marks the end of each pattern block?

Accepted Answer

;;

Answer

Each case pattern block is terminated with ;; which causes Bash to skip to the esac keyword.

Question 5

What is the purpose of the 'local' keyword inside a Bash function?

Accepted Answer

It declares a variable scoped only to that function

Answer

Variables declared with 'local' exist only within the function scope and do not pollute the global environment.

Linux Practice Test