Directory facts & stats

Question 1

What is the top-level directory of a hierarchical file system called?

Accepted Answer

The root directory. The root directory contains every other directory; on Unix-like systems it is written as /.

Question 2

In Unix-like file paths, which character separates directory names?

Accepted Answer

/ (forward slash). Unix-like paths look like /home/user/notes, with forward slashes between directory names.

Question 3

In a file path, what does '..' refer to?

Accepted Answer

The parent directory. '..' means one level up, so 'cd ..' moves to the directory that contains the current one.

Question 4

What does the Unix command 'pwd' stand for?

Accepted Answer

Print working directory. pwd prints the full path of the directory you are working in.

Question 5

Which Unix command creates a new directory?

Accepted Answer

mkdir. mkdir means 'make directory'; touch creates an empty file instead.

Question 6

On Unix-like systems, what usually happens to a file or directory whose name begins with a dot?

Accepted Answer

It is hidden from default listings. Names starting with a dot, like .config, are hidden from plain ls and shown with ls -a.

Question 7

What does the Unix command 'rmdir' do by default?

Accepted Answer

Removes an empty directory. rmdir refuses to delete a directory that still contains files; removing contents needs a different command.

The basics