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Quiz: Package Management

Test your understanding of software installation and package management.

1. What is APT?

  1. A type of file archive
  2. Advanced Package Tool for Debian/Ubuntu systems
  3. An automatic process timer
  4. An application performance tester
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. APT (Advanced Package Tool) is the package management system used by Debian, Ubuntu, Raspberry Pi OS, and related distributions. It handles downloading, installing, updating, and removing software packages.

Concept Tested: APT Package Manager

See: Chapter 14 - APT

2. What does sudo apt update do?

  1. Updates all installed packages
  2. Downloads the latest package list from repositories
  3. Updates the APT program itself
  4. Installs security updates only
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. apt update refreshes the package database, downloading the latest list of available packages from repositories. It doesn't install anything—run apt upgrade afterwards to actually update packages.

Concept Tested: Apt Update

See: Chapter 14 - Apt Update

3. What's the difference between apt upgrade and apt full-upgrade?

  1. They're identical
  2. full-upgrade may remove packages to complete upgrades
  3. full-upgrade is faster
  4. upgrade is for system packages only
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. apt upgrade upgrades packages without removing any. apt full-upgrade (formerly dist-upgrade) may remove packages if necessary to resolve dependencies and complete upgrades, making it more thorough but potentially more disruptive.

Concept Tested: Apt Upgrade

See: Chapter 14 - Apt Upgrade

4. How do you install a package called "htop"?

  1. apt get htop
  2. sudo apt install htop
  3. install htop
  4. sudo download htop
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. sudo apt install htop downloads and installs the htop package along with any required dependencies. The sudo is needed because installation modifies system directories.

Concept Tested: Apt Install

See: Chapter 14 - Installing Packages

5. What does apt search do?

  1. Searches inside installed packages
  2. Searches for packages by name or description
  3. Searches for files on the system
  4. Searches online documentation
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. apt search keyword searches package names and descriptions in the package database. For example, apt search image editor finds packages related to image editing.

Concept Tested: Apt Search

See: Chapter 14 - Searching Packages

6. What is a repository in the context of package management?

  1. A backup location for files
  2. A server hosting software packages for download
  3. A type of database
  4. A version control system
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. A repository is a server that hosts software packages. Your system is configured to connect to specific repositories (defined in /etc/apt/sources.list). APT downloads packages from these trusted sources.

Concept Tested: Software Repositories

See: Chapter 14 - Repositories

7. What does apt remove vs apt purge do differently?

  1. They're identical
  2. purge also removes configuration files
  3. remove is faster
  4. purge removes dependencies
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. apt remove uninstalls the package but leaves configuration files. apt purge removes the package AND its configuration files for a complete cleanup.

Concept Tested: Apt Remove

See: Chapter 14 - Removing Packages

8. What does apt autoremove do?

  1. Automatically removes all packages
  2. Removes orphaned packages no longer needed as dependencies
  3. Removes old log files
  4. Automatically updates packages
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. apt autoremove removes packages that were automatically installed as dependencies but are no longer needed. This cleans up packages left behind after removing software.

Concept Tested: System Maintenance

See: Chapter 14 - Autoremove

9. What command shows detailed information about a package?

  1. apt info
  2. apt show
  3. apt details
  4. apt describe
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. apt show packagename displays detailed information about a package including description, version, dependencies, installed size, and maintainer.

Concept Tested: Apt Show

See: Chapter 14 - Package Information

10. What is a .deb file?

  1. A debugging log file
  2. A Debian package file for manual installation
  3. A database backup
  4. A development environment
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. A .deb file is a Debian package that can be installed manually with dpkg -i package.deb. This is used when software isn't available in repositories. APT automatically handles dependencies; dpkg does not.

Concept Tested: DEB Packages

See: Chapter 14 - Manual Installation