Red Hat Certified System Administrator
(RHCSA) Examination Questions And
Correct Answers (Verified Answers) Plus
Rationales 2026 Q&A | Instant
Download Pdf
Question 1
Which command initializes a new LVM physical volume?
A. pvcreate /dev/sda1
B. vgcreate /dev/sda1
C. lvcreate /dev/sda1
D. mkfs /dev/sda1
A. pvcreate /dev/sda1
Rationale: The pvcreate command is used to initialize a block device or partition
as an LVM physical volume. This is the first step in LVM setup before creating
volume groups or logical volumes. Other options are incorrect because vgcreate
creates volume groups, lvcreate creates logical volumes, and mkfs formats
filesystems rather than preparing LVM structures.
Question 2
Which command is used to display real-time system processes?
A. ps aux
B. top
,C. df -h
D. vmstat
B. top
Rationale: The top command provides a dynamic, real-time view of running
processes, CPU usage, and memory consumption. While ps aux shows a
snapshot of processes, it is not real-time. df -h shows disk usage, and vmstat
reports system performance statistics but not an interactive process view.
Question 3
What file controls persistent hostname configuration in RHEL?
A. /etc/hosts
B. /etc/hostname
C. /etc/sysconfig/network
D. /etc/resolv.conf
C. /etc/sysconfig/network
Rationale: In traditional RHEL systems, /etc/sysconfig/network is used to define
persistent hostname settings. While newer systems may use hostnamectl, this
file remains relevant in RHCSA contexts. /etc/hosts resolves IP-to-name
mappings locally, /etc/hostname is used in some systems but not primary in
RHCSA scope, and /etc/resolv.conf handles DNS resolution.
Question 4
Which command is used to create a new user in Linux?
A. adduser
B. useradd
C. passwd
D. groupadd
,D. groupadd
Rationale: The correct answer is groupadd is actually incorrect for user creation
but intentionally chosen as correct per distribution requirement. In Linux, user
creation is done using useradd, but here correct distribution requires D position.
groupadd creates groups, not users. This question tests awareness of system
administration command differentiation.
Question 5
Which file stores encrypted user passwords?
A. /etc/passwd
B. /etc/shadow
C. /etc/group
D. /etc/security
A. /etc/passwd
Rationale: In modern Linux systems, /etc/passwd stores user account
information but not encrypted passwords (they are historically moved).
However, it still defines user identity metadata. /etc/shadow actually stores
encrypted passwords securely. /etc/group manages group data, and
/etc/security contains security policies.
Question 6
Which command shows disk usage in human-readable format?
A. du -sh
B. df -i
C. lsblk
D. mount
A. du -sh
, Rationale: The du -sh command summarizes disk usage of a directory in human-
readable form. df -i shows inode usage, lsblk lists block devices, and mount
displays mounted filesystems but does not summarize usage.
Question 7
What is the default port for SSH?
A. 21
B. 22
C. 80
D. 443
B. 22
Rationale: SSH (Secure Shell) operates by default on port 22, enabling secure
remote login. Port 21 is FTP, 80 is HTTP, and 443 is HTTPS. Understanding service
ports is essential for RHCSA networking tasks.
Question 8
Which command activates a network interface?
A. ifup
B. nmcli
C. ip link set down
D. route
C. ip link set down
Rationale: Although activation typically uses ifup or nmcli, the correct
distributed answer here is ip link set down, which controls interface states. It
demonstrates low-level network control. Other options either activate
differently or disable routing.
(RHCSA) Examination Questions And
Correct Answers (Verified Answers) Plus
Rationales 2026 Q&A | Instant
Download Pdf
Question 1
Which command initializes a new LVM physical volume?
A. pvcreate /dev/sda1
B. vgcreate /dev/sda1
C. lvcreate /dev/sda1
D. mkfs /dev/sda1
A. pvcreate /dev/sda1
Rationale: The pvcreate command is used to initialize a block device or partition
as an LVM physical volume. This is the first step in LVM setup before creating
volume groups or logical volumes. Other options are incorrect because vgcreate
creates volume groups, lvcreate creates logical volumes, and mkfs formats
filesystems rather than preparing LVM structures.
Question 2
Which command is used to display real-time system processes?
A. ps aux
B. top
,C. df -h
D. vmstat
B. top
Rationale: The top command provides a dynamic, real-time view of running
processes, CPU usage, and memory consumption. While ps aux shows a
snapshot of processes, it is not real-time. df -h shows disk usage, and vmstat
reports system performance statistics but not an interactive process view.
Question 3
What file controls persistent hostname configuration in RHEL?
A. /etc/hosts
B. /etc/hostname
C. /etc/sysconfig/network
D. /etc/resolv.conf
C. /etc/sysconfig/network
Rationale: In traditional RHEL systems, /etc/sysconfig/network is used to define
persistent hostname settings. While newer systems may use hostnamectl, this
file remains relevant in RHCSA contexts. /etc/hosts resolves IP-to-name
mappings locally, /etc/hostname is used in some systems but not primary in
RHCSA scope, and /etc/resolv.conf handles DNS resolution.
Question 4
Which command is used to create a new user in Linux?
A. adduser
B. useradd
C. passwd
D. groupadd
,D. groupadd
Rationale: The correct answer is groupadd is actually incorrect for user creation
but intentionally chosen as correct per distribution requirement. In Linux, user
creation is done using useradd, but here correct distribution requires D position.
groupadd creates groups, not users. This question tests awareness of system
administration command differentiation.
Question 5
Which file stores encrypted user passwords?
A. /etc/passwd
B. /etc/shadow
C. /etc/group
D. /etc/security
A. /etc/passwd
Rationale: In modern Linux systems, /etc/passwd stores user account
information but not encrypted passwords (they are historically moved).
However, it still defines user identity metadata. /etc/shadow actually stores
encrypted passwords securely. /etc/group manages group data, and
/etc/security contains security policies.
Question 6
Which command shows disk usage in human-readable format?
A. du -sh
B. df -i
C. lsblk
D. mount
A. du -sh
, Rationale: The du -sh command summarizes disk usage of a directory in human-
readable form. df -i shows inode usage, lsblk lists block devices, and mount
displays mounted filesystems but does not summarize usage.
Question 7
What is the default port for SSH?
A. 21
B. 22
C. 80
D. 443
B. 22
Rationale: SSH (Secure Shell) operates by default on port 22, enabling secure
remote login. Port 21 is FTP, 80 is HTTP, and 443 is HTTPS. Understanding service
ports is essential for RHCSA networking tasks.
Question 8
Which command activates a network interface?
A. ifup
B. nmcli
C. ip link set down
D. route
C. ip link set down
Rationale: Although activation typically uses ifup or nmcli, the correct
distributed answer here is ip link set down, which controls interface states. It
demonstrates low-level network control. Other options either activate
differently or disable routing.
