Running the next command regardless of status | LPIC-1 101-500 Exam original practice question

103.1Basic

Run false and then echo DONE.

Print DONE even though false fails.

Use a fresh Bash with errexit (set -e) disabled. Wait for the first command to finish before running the next.

Which command list is correct?

Hint 1: Compare the execution behavior

Separate printing DONE from waiting for the first command to finish. Also check which shell settings the question assumes.

Hint 2: Key terms

Separate execution order, exit status, and the selected path.

Semicolon ;: A separator that waits for the preceding command and does not use its exit status as a condition for running the next.
&& and ||: Operators that decide whether to run the right side from a zero or nonzero exit status.
Pipe |: A standard-output to standard-input connection, not a requirement to start the next command after the preceding one finishes.
errexit (set -e): A shell option that can terminate execution after failure; it is separate from semicolon sequencing.
List exit status: The status of the last command executed, which can be zero even though an earlier false returned one.

Detailed explanation

Incorrectfalse && echo DONE

Incorrect. && suppresses echo when false fails.

false returns one, so the AND list skips echo. That does not satisfy the requirement to print after the failed command.

Incorrecttrue || echo DONE

Incorrect. true succeeds, so || skips echo.

true returns zero, so the OR list skips echo. This option also replaces the required false with a different command.

Correctfalse; echo DONE

Correct. The semicolon runs echo after false regardless of its status.

With errexit disabled as stated, Bash waits for false to finish and then runs echo. A successful echo can make the list return zero without changing the earlier failure.

Incorrectfalse | echo DONE

Incorrect. A pipe sends output; false has no output to pass to echo.

This also prints DONE, so output alone does not establish the required sequence. A pipeline does not require echo to start only after false has finished.

Try it yourself

An example you can run in a temporary verification environment.

false; echo DONE
printf 'list status=%s\n' "$?"
(
  set -e
  false
  printf 'not reached\n'
)
printf 'errexit status=%s\n' "$?"

Official references

Expected result

DONE
list status=0
errexit status=1

Key points

Semicolon sequencing
Sequential execution
Difference from short-circuit lists

Notes

Environment: A fresh Bash 5.2 process with errexit off. The later subshell alone enables set -e to demonstrate behavior outside the question premise.
The first example uses the question premise. Only the later subshell enables set -e; the settings of an existing working shell are not changed.
errexit has exceptions involving conditional tests, AND/OR lists and pipelines. This standalone subshell example is deliberately limited to a simple false outside those contexts.

Foundation review

The same output does not prove the same sequencing

Both the semicolon and pipeline examples print DONE. Assess whether the second command starts after the first has finished, rather than choosing only from the visible word.

Separate a list operator from shell options

A semicolon does not branch on success, but execution still cannot continue after the shell itself exits. The question explicitly disables errexit to keep that separate.

Capture the intended exit status

Immediately after false; echo DONE, $? belongs to echo. Save the status of false before another command replaces it when that earlier result matters.

Question IDKP-103-022

EnvironmentA fresh Bash 5.2 process with errexit off. The later subshell alone enables set -e to demonstrate behavior outside the question premise.

Last technical review2026-11-03

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