How to Create an Administrative User Account in Linux?
Which of the following commands should a technician use to create an administrative account for the username Joe?
Community Votes
100% of anonymous learners picked answer A. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.
Community Insight
The test checks whether you know that administrative access in Linux is granted via group membership (typically 'wheel'), not by simply creating a user or locking the password.
The Linux+ exam question asks which command creates an administrative account for user 'joe'. The community agrees that 'sudo useradd -G wheel joe' is correct because adding Joe to the wheel group grants administrative privileges.
Choosing options that create the user but fail to grant administrative rights, such as 'sudo useradd joe; sudo passwd -l joe' which locks the account, or adding the user to a nonexistent 'admin' group. The correct answer must include membership in the 'wheel' group.
Community Discussion (3 comments)
Comments & Corrections
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Expert Analysis
Why the Answer Is Correct
Option A is correct because the -G wheel flag adds the new user 'joe' to the supplementary group 'wheel'. In many Linux distributions, members of the 'wheel' group are permitted to run commands with sudo, giving them administrative privileges. The command sudo useradd -G wheel joe creates the user and assigns the group in one step. This matches the requirement for an 'administrative account'.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Option B (sudo useradd joe; sudo passwd -l joe) creates the user but then locks the password, making the account unusable for login. Option C (sudo useradd joe; sudo cat key.pem > ~/.ssh/authorized_keys) creates the user but only sets an SSH key, which does not grant administrative rights unless the user is in a privileged group. Option D (sudo useradd joe; groupadd admin joe) uses a nonexistent 'admin' group; the standard group for sudo privileges is 'wheel' or 'sudo' depending on the distribution.
Community Comment Notes
Comment [1] mentions that 'joe will never be able to walk, he is on the wheel', a playful reference to the wheel group's purpose. Comment [2] correctly explains that the wheel group allows running any command on the system, which confirms why option A is right. Comment [3] asks 'what wheel?', showing that some candidates may be unfamiliar with group-based privilege escalation; this is a common gap that the exam targets.
Official Reference
Exam Strategy
In Linux+ exam questions, focus on the concept that administrative access is tied to group membership (often 'wheel' or 'sudo'). Look for the command that both creates the user and assigns the proper group. If you are unsure about output, remember that 'useradd' does not set a password by default, and administrative rights require group membership.