Which command would search for a file named motd under the /etc directory?

• A. find /etc -name motd
• B. rpm -qd motd
• C. locate motd
• D. whereis motd

Answer: (A)

Searching for a file by name within a specific directory is done with the find command, providing the starting directory and a name pattern. The best choice is to start at /etc and look for the exact name motd, which is exactly what the command find /etc -name motd does. It traverses /etc and all subdirectories, returning any files that match that exact name.

The other options don’t fit this goal. rpm -qd motd queries which files are owned by a package named motd, not a filesystem search for a file by name. locate motd uses a prebuilt database and isn’t restricted to /etc, and may miss recent changes if the database isn’t updated. whereis motd searches for standard program locations (binaries, sources, and man pages) for a command or utility named motd, not for arbitrary files within a specific directory.