How do you sort by the 10th character in the 3rd column?

• A. sort -k 3.1
• B. sort -k 3.10.0
• C. sort -k 3.2
• D. sort -k 3.10

Answer: (D)

Sorting by a specific character in a specific field uses sort’s key syntax -k field.character. The third column means the third field (separated by whitespace). Specifying the 10th character in that field is written as 3.10, which tells sort to start the key at the 10th character of the 3rd field. Since no end position is provided, the key extends from that position to the end of the line, effectively sorting by the 10th character (with the rest serving as tie-breakers if needed). The other options don’t target the 10th character in the 3rd field: they either start at a different character, or provide an invalid end position.