Deal of The Day! Hurry Up, Grab the Special Discount - Save 25% - Ends In 00:00:00 Coupon code: SAVE25
Welcome to Pass4Success

- Free Preparation Discussions
Mail Us support@pass4success.com
Location US
Mob_nav_barsMENU

LPI 102-500 Exam - Topic 11 Question 118 Discussion

What is the difference between the commands test -e path and test -f path?
C) Both options check the existence of the path. The -f option also confirms that it is a regular file.
A) They are equivalent options with the same behaviour.
B) The -f option tests for a regular file. The -e option tests for an empty file.
D) The -f option tests for a regular file. The -e option tests for an executable file.

LPI 102-500 Exam - Topic 11 Question 118 Discussion

Actual exam question for LPI's 102-500 exam
Question #: 118
Topic #: 11
[All 102-500 Questions]

What is the difference between the commands test -e path and test -f path?

Show Suggested Answer Hide Answer
Suggested Answer: C

The test command is used to perform checks and comparisons on files and values. The -e option tests if a given path exists, regardless of its type (file, directory, link, etc.). The -f option tests if a given path exists and is a regular file, not a directory or a special file. For example, if we have a directory named dir and a file named file, we can use the test command as follows:

test -e dir && echo ''dir exists'' dir exists test -f dir && echo ''dir is a regular file'' (no output) test -e file && echo ''file exists'' file exists test -f file && echo ''file is a regular file'' file is a regular file


https://www.computerhope.com/unix/bash/test.htm

by Julene at May 03, 2026, 03:02 AM

Limited Time Offer

25%

Off

Get Premium 102-500 Questions as Interactive Web-Based Practice Test or PDF

Contribute your Thoughts:

0/2000 characters
Submit Cancel
Reynalda
1 day ago
I think the answer is C. They both check existence.
upvoted 0 times
...
Kerry
6 days ago
Nah, A is wrong. They definitely have different behaviors.
upvoted 0 times
...
Janella
12 days ago
Wait, so -e doesn't check if a file is empty? That's surprising!
upvoted 0 times
...
Eladia
17 days ago
Totally agree with C! They serve different purposes.
upvoted 0 times
...
Erick
22 days ago
I thought -e was for empty files? That's not right?
upvoted 0 times
...
Ashton
27 days ago
C is correct! -f checks for regular files, -e just checks existence.
upvoted 0 times
...
Twila
1 month ago
I thought -e was for any file type, but I might be mixing it up with something else.
upvoted 0 times
...
Maryann
3 months ago
I feel like both options check for existence, but I can't recall if -f confirms it's a regular file or not.
upvoted 0 times
...
Felton
3 months ago
I remember practicing a question where -f was specifically for regular files, while -e was more general.
upvoted 0 times
...
Aliza
3 months ago
I think the -e option just checks if the file exists, but I'm not sure what -f does exactly.
upvoted 0 times
...

Save Cancel