Which command would force a system to reboot into rescue mode from a non-graphical environment?

• A. Systemctl isolate rescue.target
• B. Systemctl reboot --rescue
• C. Systemctl isolate multi-user.target
• D. Shutdown -r now

Answer: (A)

Isolating to rescue.target is the way to enter a minimal, maintenance-oriented environment from a running system. In systemd, rescue mode is a stripped-down state with essential services only and no graphical interface. By issuing systemctl isolate rescue.target, the system stops services tied to the current target and starts only those needed for rescue, dropping you into a root shell with a safe, minimal environment without rebooting. The other options don’t achieve this exact effect: isolating multi-user.target would bring you to a non-graphical state that’s fuller than rescue, rebooting with a rescue flag would restart the machine (and isn’t guaranteed to land in rescue mode immediately), and shutting down with a reboot option simply restarts into the system’s default target.