sudo for elevated privileges in Linux CLI - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the command to run apt update with elevated privileges.

Linux CLI

sudo [1]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aapt-update

Bupdate apt

Capt update

Dupdate

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Putting update before apt.

Using a hyphen in apt-update.

Omitting the package manager command.

The correct command is sudo apt update to run the update with elevated privileges.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the command to edit the /etc/hosts file with elevated privileges using nano editor.

Linux CLI

sudo [1] /etc/hosts

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aedit

Bvi

Copen

Dnano

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using edit which is not a valid command.

Using open which is not a terminal editor.

Using vi if unfamiliar with it.

Use sudo nano /etc/hosts to edit the hosts file with administrator rights using the nano editor.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the command to list files in /root directory with elevated privileges.

Linux CLI

sudo ls [1] /root

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A-la

B-a

C-l

D-al

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using only -l or -a alone.

Using -al which also works but is not the expected answer here.

Omitting options.

The correct option is -la to list all files with details. It combines -l and -a options.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to create a command that installs curl package using apt with elevated privileges and automatically confirms prompts.

Linux CLI

sudo apt [1] curl [2]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Ainstall

B-y

Cremove

D-f

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using remove instead of install.

Omitting the -y flag and getting stuck on prompts.

Using -f which forces fix but is not for confirmation.

Use install to add the package and -y to auto-confirm prompts.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create a command that shows the last 10 lines of /var/log/syslog file with elevated privileges and continuously updates the output.

Linux CLI

sudo [1] [2] /var/log/syslog [3]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Atail

B-f

C-n 10

Dhead

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using head instead of tail.

Omitting -f and missing live updates.

Using wrong order of options.

Use tail to view the end of the file, -n 10 to show last 10 lines, and -f to follow updates.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of using sudo in Linux?

easy

A. To create a new user account

B. To switch to another user account permanently

C. To list files in a directory

D. To run commands with higher privileges than a normal user

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand what sudo does

   sudo allows a user to run commands with elevated privileges, usually root access.

2. Step 2: Compare options with sudo purpose

   Only To run commands with higher privileges than a normal user describes running commands with higher privileges, which matches sudo's main use.

3. Final Answer:

   To run commands with higher privileges than a normal user -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   sudo = elevated privileges [OK]

Hint: sudo means run as superuser or admin [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing sudo with user switching commands
• Thinking sudo creates users
• Assuming sudo lists files

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to run the command apt update with elevated privileges?

easy

A. sudo apt update

B. apt sudo update

C. sudo -u apt update

D. apt update sudo

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall the correct sudo syntax

   The correct syntax is sudo [command], so sudo apt update is valid.

2. Step 2: Check each option

   Options A, B, and D place sudo incorrectly or misuse flags.

3. Final Answer:

   sudo apt update -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   sudo before command = correct syntax [OK]

Hint: Put sudo before the command to elevate it [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Placing sudo after the command
• Using sudo with wrong flags
• Mixing sudo with user flags incorrectly

3. What will be the output of the command sudo whoami if run by a normal user?

medium

A. root

B. sudo

C. normal user name

D. Permission denied

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand what whoami does

   whoami prints the current user's name.

2. Step 2: Effect of sudo on whoami

   Running sudo whoami runs the command as root, so it prints root.

3. Final Answer:

   root -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   sudo changes user to root for command [OK]

Hint: sudo runs command as root user [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Expecting normal username output
• Thinking sudo prints 'sudo'
• Assuming permission denied without sudo

4. You try to run sudo apt-get update but get the error: sudo: command not found. What is the most likely cause?

medium

A. You typed the command incorrectly

B. You are not logged in as root

C. The sudo package is not installed or not in PATH

D. You need to use su instead of sudo

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze the error message

   sudo: command not found means the system cannot find the sudo program.

2. Step 2: Identify common reasons

   This usually happens if sudo is not installed or its location is missing from the PATH environment variable.

3. Final Answer:

   The sudo package is not installed or not in PATH -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   command not found = missing sudo or PATH [OK]

Hint: command not found means sudo missing or PATH wrong [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming user login affects sudo command presence
• Thinking command typo causes 'command not found'
• Confusing su and sudo usage errors

5. You want to run a script backup.sh that requires root permissions. Which command correctly runs it with sudo and ensures the script's environment variables are preserved?

hard

A. sudo ./backup.sh

B. sudo -E ./backup.sh

C. sudo -u root ./backup.sh

D. sudo --preserve-env=ALL ./backup.sh

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand environment preservation with sudo

   By default, sudo resets environment variables for security. The -E flag preserves the user's environment.

2. Step 2: Evaluate options for preserving environment

   sudo -E ./backup.sh uses -E which preserves environment variables. sudo --preserve-env=ALL ./backup.sh uses a longer form but --preserve-env=ALL is less common and may not be supported everywhere.

3. Final Answer:

   sudo -E ./backup.sh -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   sudo -E preserves environment variables [OK]

Hint: Use sudo -E to keep environment variables [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Forgetting environment variables reset by sudo
• Using sudo without -E loses variables
• Confusing -u root with environment preservation