In most Unix-based operating systems, which command is used to create an empty file if the file does not already exist?

Correct option is C

The correct answer is: (c) touch

Explanation:

• The **touch** command is used in Unix/Linux systems to create an empty file if it does not already exist.
• If the file exists, touch updates the access and modification timestamps.
• Syntax: touch filename.txt creates filename.txt if it doesn't already exist.

Information Booster:

• touch is frequently used in shell scripting and file automation.
• It’s part of GNU core utilities and found in nearly all Unix-based OSs.
• It doesn’t modify file content, only timestamps.
• Useful for generating placeholder files.
• Common in Linux distributions like Ubuntu, Fedora, and macOS.
• Does not show output unless an error occurs.

Additional Information:

• cp – Used to copy files and directories, not create new empty files.
• mkdir – Used to create directories, not files.
• mkfile – Used in Solaris OS to create a file of specified size, but not widely used in Linux.

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