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Question 2. CSCD240-E1-A
Give a single command that does a long listing of the current directory and scrolls the output one page at a time.
Work the drill
Answer on paper or in a terminal before revealing the ideal answer.
Ideal answer
ls -l | less
Acceptable alternatives: ["ls -l | more", "ls -la | less"]
Misconception bank
Each row below is a plausible wrong answer, the thinking that produces it, and the remedy that corrects the misconception. These are the foundation of the multiple-choice framing and the targeted feedback a student receives after answering.
ls -l
Misconception. No pager — assumes output fits on one screen.
Remedy. Reteach piping as the composition primitive — "chain a viewer to the output."
ls | less
Misconception. Missing -l flag for long format.
Remedy. Highlight that -l is the "detail" flag; without it you lose owner/group/size/time.
Authority mappings
Hover any chip for the mapping justification; click to open the authority record.
DCWF roles:
IT-451 System Administrator
DCWF tasks:
T0498
Course-artifact links
Lectures
- CSCD240-S26-L02. Shell basics, navigation, file type identification, which
Lab questions
- CSCD240-S26-LAB1: Capture ls, ls -l, ls -la. What new columns appear in -l vs default?
- CSCD240-S26-LAB1: Use cat, head, tail, less on a file. Note differences.