PowerShell Unit Test - Comprehensive Assessment

Estimated time: 60-90 minutes

Key Learning Outcomes Assessed

By completing this unit test, you will demonstrate:

1. Understanding of file system navigation and path concepts
2. Proficiency with file and folder manipulation commands
3. Ability to redirect and pipe command output
4. Knowledge of environment variables and aliases
5. Screen-reader accessibility best practices in terminal environments
6. Problem-solving and command chaining skills

Target Audience:

Users who have completed PS-0 through PS-5 and need to demonstrate mastery of PowerShell fundamentals.

Instructions:

Complete all sections below. For multiple choice, select the best answer. For short answers, write one to two sentences. For hands-on tasks, capture evidence (screenshots or output files) and submit alongside your answers.

Part A: Multiple Choice Questions (20 questions)

Select the best answer for each question. Each question is worth 1 point.

1. What is the primary purpose of the PATH environment variable?

   • A) Store your home directory location
   • B) Tell the shell where to find executable programs
   • C) Configure the visual appearance of the terminal
   • D) Store the current working directory name

2. Which command prints your current working directory?

   • A) ls -n
   • B) cd
   • C) pwd
   • D) whoami

3. What does the ~ symbol represent in PowerShell paths?

   • A) The root directory
   • B) The current directory
   • C) The parent directory
   • D) The home directory

4. How do you list only file names (not full details) in a way that is screen-reader friendly?

   • A) ls
   • B) ls -n
   • C) ls -l
   • D) cat -n

5. Which command creates a new empty file?

   • A) mkdir filename
   • B) ni filename
   • C) touch filename
   • D) echo filename

6. What is the difference between > and >>?

   • A) > redirects to file, >> displays on screen
   • B) > overwrites a file, >> appends to a file
   • C) They do the same thing
   • D) > is for text, >> is for binary

7. What does the pipe operator | do?

   • A) Creates a folder
   • B) Sends the output of one command to the input of another
   • C) Deletes files matching a pattern
   • D) Lists all processes

8. Which command copies a file?

   • A) mv
   • B) rm
   • C) cp
   • D) cd

9. How do you rename a file from oldname.txt to newname.txt?

   • A) cp oldname.txt newname.txt
   • B) mv oldname.txt newname.txt
   • C) rename oldname.txt newname.txt
   • D) rn oldname.txt newname.txt

10. What is the purpose of Select-String?

    • A) Select files in a directory
    • B) Search for text patterns within a file
    • C) Select a string to copy to clipboard
    • D) Select which shell to use

11. Which key combination allows you to autocomplete a path in PowerShell?

    • A) Ctrl + A
    • B) Ctrl + E
    • C) Tab
    • D) Space

12. How do you copy text to the Windows clipboard from PowerShell?

    • A) cat filename > clipboard
    • B) cat filename | clip
    • C) copy filename
    • D) cat filename | paste

13. What does Get-Command openscad do?

    • A) Opens the OpenSCAD application
    • B) Gets help about the OpenSCAD command
    • C) Locates the full path of the openscad executable
    • D) Lists all available commands

14. Which wildcard matches any single character?

    • A) *
    • B) ?
    • C) %
    • D) #

15. What is the purpose of the & call operator?

    • A) Run a script or executable by full path
    • B) Execute all commands in parallel
    • C) Combine multiple commands
    • D) Create an alias

16. How do you create a temporary alias for a command?

    • A) alias preview='openscad'
    • B) Set-Alias -Name preview -Value openscad
    • C) New-Alias preview openscad
    • D) Alias preview = openscad

17. Where is your PowerShell profile typically stored?

    • A) C:\Program Files\PowerShell\profile.ps1
    • B) The location returned by echo $PROFILE
    • C) ~/PowerShell/profile.ps1
    • D) ~/.bashrc

18. How do you abort a long-running command in PowerShell?

    • A) Press Escape
    • B) Press Ctrl + X
    • C) Press Ctrl + C
    • D) Press Alt + F4

19. What command shows the history of previously run commands?

    • A) history
    • B) Get-History
    • C) Show-History
    • D) Both A and B

20. How do you permanently set an alias so it persists across PowerShell sessions?

    • A) Use Set-Alias in the terminal every time
    • B) Add the Set-Alias line to your PowerShell profile
    • C) Use the Windows Control Panel
    • D) Aliases cannot be made permanent

Part B: Short Answer Questions (10 questions)

Answer each question in one to two sentences. Each question is worth 2 points.

1. Explain the difference between absolute and relative paths. Give one example of each.

2. Why is ls -n preferred over ls for screen reader users? Describe what flag you would use to list only files.

3. What is the purpose of redirecting output to a file, and give an example of when you would use > instead of >>?

4. Describe what would happen if you ran rm -r ~/Documents/my_folder and why this command should be used carefully.

5. How would you search for all files with a .scad extension in your current directory? Write the command.

6. Explain what happens when you pipe the output of ls -n into clip. What would you do next?

7. What is an environment variable, and give one example of how you might use it in PowerShell.

8. If a program is not in your PATH, what two methods could you use to run it from PowerShell?

9. Describe how you would open a file in Notepad and also add a line to it from PowerShell.

10. What is one strategy you would use if your screen reader stops announcing terminal output while using PowerShell?

Part C: Hands-On Tasks (10 tasks)

Complete each task and capture evidence (screenshots, output files, or command transcripts). Each task is worth 3 points.

Tasks 1-5: File System and Navigation

1. Create a folder structure ~/Documents/PowerShell_Assessment/Projects using a single command. Capture the ls -n output showing the creation.

2. Create five files named project_1.scad, project_2.scad, project_3.txt, notes_1.txt, and notes_2.txt inside the Projects folder. Use wildcards to list only .scad files, then capture the output.

3. Copy the entire Projects folder to Projects_Backup using cp -r. Capture the ls -n output showing both folders exist.

4. Move (rename) project_1.scad to project_1_final.scad. Capture the ls -n output showing the renamed file.

5. Delete notes_1.txt and notes_2.txt using a single rm command with wildcards. Capture the final ls -n output.

Tasks 6-10: Advanced Operations and Scripting

6. Create a file called my_data.txt with at least four lines using echo and >>. Then read it with cat my_data.txt and capture the output.

7. Use Select-String to search for a keyword (e.g., “project”) in my_data.txt and pipe the results to clip. Paste the results into Notepad and capture a screenshot.

8. List all files in the Projects folder and redirect the output to projects_list.txt. Open it in Notepad and capture a screenshot of the file.

9. Create a temporary alias called myls that runs ls -n, test it, and capture the output. Then explain what would be required to make it permanent.

10. Run Get-Help Get-ChildItem and redirect the output to help_output.txt. Open the file in Notepad and capture a screenshot showing at least the first page of help content.

Grading Rubric

Passing Score: 49 points (70%)

Helpful Resources for Review

• PowerShell Command Reference
• Navigation and File System
• Using Pipes and Filtering
• Profile and Aliases
• Screen Reader Accessibility Tips

Submission Checklist

• All 20 multiple choice questions answered
• All 10 short answer questions answered (1-2 sentences each)
• All 10 hands-on tasks completed with evidence captured
• Files/screenshots organized and labeled clearly
• Submission includes this checklist