117-010 · Question #24
Which of the following commands redirects the output of cmd to the file foo.txt, in which an existing file is overwritten?
The correct answer is E. cmd > foo.txt. See the full explanation below for the reasoning.
Question
Which of the following commands redirects the output of cmd to the file foo.txt, in which an existing file is overwritten?
Options
- Acmd || foo.txt
- Bcmd | foo.txt
- Ccmd && foo.txt
- Dcmd >> foo.txt
- Ecmd > foo.txt
How the community answered
(20 responses)- A5% (1)
- B5% (1)
- C10% (2)
- E80% (16)
Community Discussion
6
Mei-Ling H.Jun 27, 2026E is correct. The single greater-than sign redirects standard output to a file and overwrites whatever is already there, while the double greater-than in D appends instead of overwriting, and the other options are not redirection operators at all.
Luis F.Jun 27, 2026E is right, > overwrites while >> appends, but do you know what happens if foo.txt doesn't exist yet?
Bao N.Jun 29, 2026If foo.txt does not exist, both > and >> will create it, so the only real difference is what happens when the file is already there.
Prof. SaraJun 16, 2026Single right-arrow overwrites, double appends. Saw E on my LPI exam, chose it cold.
Orla P.Jun 27, 2026E is right. Does it click why >> writes differently than > does?
Bao N.Jun 27, 2026E nails it, but do you know why >> does something different?