Which command is appropriate for deleting a directory along with its contents?

The command that is appropriate for deleting a directory along with its contents is "rm -r". This command stands for "remove recursively". The recursive option (-r) allows you to delete not only the specified directory but all of its contents, including subdirectories and files.

When using "rm -r", caution is advised because this action is irreversible, meaning once the contents are deleted, they cannot be easily recovered. This command is commonly used in scenarios where a user wants to clean up a directory structure, and it is essential to ensure that no important data is lost in the process.

Other options may seem related but do not achieve the same outcome. For instance, "rm" alone without the recursive flag will not delete directories, it can only remove files. The "rmdir" command is specifically designed to remove empty directories and will fail if the directory contains files. "del -r" is not a standard command in Linux; it resembles command syntax found in other operating systems and is not applicable for deleting directories in a Linux environment. Thus, "rm -r" is the correct and most effective choice for this task.