Sorting CSV rows by a numeric field in descending order | LPIC-1 101-500 Exam original practice question

103.2Standard

metrics.csv stores the numeric value in field 3.

Sort rows by that field from largest to smallest.

api,east,9
web,west,120
db,east,45

Which command is correct?

Hint 1: Focus on the requirement

Identify what must change and what must remain unchanged. Then choose the command whose scope matches that requirement.

Hint 2: Check each command's role

Separate commands that display information, change state, remove data, or affect a child process.

sort -t, -k3,3 metrics.csv: Incorrect. It compares field 3 lexically and in ascending order.
sort -t, -k3,3n metrics.csv: Incorrect. Numeric comparison is enabled, but the order is ascending.
sort -t, -k3,3nr metrics.csv: Correct. It selects field 3 and uses numeric reverse order.
sort -t, -k2,2nr metrics.csv: Incorrect. It sorts by field 2 instead of the numeric field.

Detailed explanation

Incorrectsort -t, -k3,3 metrics.csv

Incorrect. It compares field 3 lexically and in ascending order.

Incorrectsort -t, -k3,3n metrics.csv

Incorrect. Numeric comparison is enabled, but the order is ascending.

Correctsort -t, -k3,3nr metrics.csv

Correct. It selects field 3 and uses numeric reverse order.

Incorrectsort -t, -k2,2nr metrics.csv

Incorrect. It sorts by field 2 instead of the numeric field.

An example you can run in a temporary verification environment.

printf '%s
' 'api,east,9' 'web,west,120' 'db,east,45' > metrics.csv
LC_ALL=C sort -t, -k3,3nr metrics.csv

web,west,120
db,east,45
api,east,9

Foundation review

Check whether the command acts on the current shell, a new process, an existing process, or a file.

Use the supplied command and compare the output with the expected result.

Question IDKP-103-012

EnvironmentGNU coreutils 9.x / LC_ALL=C

Last technical review2026-08-12