What does the 'cat' command do in Linux?

What does the 'cat' command do in Linux?

• A. Print one or more files to STDOUT
• B. Copy a file
• C. Delete a directory
• D. Change the current working directory

Answer: (A)

The 'cat' command in Linux is primarily used to concatenate and display the contents of files to the standard output (STDOUT). When you execute 'cat' followed by the name of a file, it reads the file and outputs its content directly to the terminal. This is particularly useful for quickly viewing the contents of small text files without needing to open a text editor. Additionally, you can use 'cat' with multiple files, and it will print the contents of each consecutively, allowing you to view them together. While the other options mention other common file operations, they do not accurately describe the function of the 'cat' command. For instance, the task of copying a file is handled by the 'cp' command, deleting directories is done with the 'rm' or 'rmdir' commands, and changing the current directory is performed using the 'cd' command. Therefore, the understanding of 'cat' as a tool for displaying file contents is critical in Linux command line navigation and management.

The 'cat' command in Linux is primarily used to concatenate and display the contents of files to the standard output (STDOUT). When you execute 'cat' followed by the name of a file, it reads the file and outputs its content directly to the terminal. This is particularly useful for quickly viewing the contents of small text files without needing to open a text editor. Additionally, you can use 'cat' with multiple files, and it will print the contents of each consecutively, allowing you to view them together.

While the other options mention other common file operations, they do not accurately describe the function of the 'cat' command. For instance, the task of copying a file is handled by the 'cp' command, deleting directories is done with the 'rm' or 'rmdir' commands, and changing the current directory is performed using the 'cd' command. Therefore, the understanding of 'cat' as a tool for displaying file contents is critical in Linux command line navigation and management.