LFCS Question #255: Real Exam Question with Answer & Explanation

Question

Which of the following commands will print the exit value of the previous command to the screen in bash?

Options

• Aecho $?
• Becho $#
• Cecho $exit
• Decho $status
• Eecho $&}

Explanation

This question asks for the correct Bash command to display the exit status of the previously executed command.

Common mistakes.

• B. echo $# prints the number of positional parameters passed to a script or function, not the exit status of the last command.
• C. echo $exit is incorrect because exit is a command used to terminate a shell, not a variable storing the exit status.
• D. echo $status is not a standard Bash variable for exit status; status is used in some other shells like csh or tcsh.
• E. echo $&}} is not valid Bash syntax for retrieving the exit status of a command.

Concept tested. Bash exit status variable $?

Reference. https://www.gnu.org/software/bash/manual/bash.html#Special-Parameters

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