top Interview Questions and Answers¶
Introduction¶
These questions test whether you understand what top does, when to use it, and how to verify the result on Linux.
Beginner Questions¶
What does top do?
It displays live process and system resource usage.
Show a basic command.
top
Intermediate Questions¶
Name useful options.
-o: sort by a field.-u: filter by user.-b: use batch mode.
Show a common administrator command.
top -o %CPU
Scenario-Based Questions¶
How would you handle top load average?
top
What would you verify afterward?
uptime
Expected output should look similar to:
10:00:00 up 5 days, 2:13, 2 users, load average: 0.22, 0.31, 0.28
Practical Task Questions¶
Practice in a lab by running a safe version of the command, explaining the target, and showing the verification output.
Quick Review¶
top
top -o %CPU
uptime
Related Guides¶
Summary¶
A strong top answer includes the purpose, a correct example, a common mistake, and a verification command with output you can interpret.