What does the command 'echo $PATH' display?

The command 'echo $PATH' displays the directories in which the shell looks for executables. The PATH variable is a critical environment variable in Unix-like operating systems that defines a list of directories to search for executable files when a command is entered in the shell. When you execute a command without providing its full path, the shell checks each of the directories listed in the PATH variable in order to locate the executable file corresponding to that command.

This is particularly important for commands that are not built into the shell itself but are instead found in various directories on the system. For example, if you type ls, the shell will check the directories listed in your PATH (like /bin, /usr/bin, etc.) to find the executable file for the ls command.

The other options do not accurately reflect what the echo command displays when querying the PATH variable. The current directory is not specifically listed by that command unless it has been added to the PATH variable; environment variables can be checked but are not exclusively shown by this command, and the system’s current time is not related to the PATH. Thus, the output of 'echo $PATH' specifically reveals the locations the shell consults for command execution, making the correct answer clear.