What is the correct syntax for copying multiple files with a filename starting as ‘file’ into another file named as ‘directory_one’?
A. cp -i file directory_one
B. cp -R file directory/directory_one
C. cp file* directory_one
D. none of the mentioned
I have been asked this question in an internship interview.
Origin of the question is Copying a File: cp Command topic in chapter Handling Ordinary Files of Unix
The correct answer is C. cp file* directory_one
Easy explanation: For copying multiple files with a common starting name such as (file, file001, file.txt, fileone.jpg, file-archive.zip) we use (“*”). An asterisk (“*”) is a wildcard – a special character which expands to match other characters. For example, cp file* directory_one will copy all the files whose name will be starting with ‘file’ into ‘directory_one’ file.