TF-003 Practice Test 4 — 25 Questions

Question 1

A company wants to integrate Terraform with their CI/CD pipeline to automatically deploy infrastructure. Which Terraform feature should they use to ensure state files are stored securely and accessible by the pipeline?

Accepted Answer

Terraform Cloud remote state. Using a remote state backend (like Terraform Cloud) ensures state is stored securely and can be accessed by pipeline runs. Local state with .gitignore is not secure or accessible. Terraform import is for adding existing resources, not state storage. terraform state push is used to manually upload state.

Answer

Terraform import

Answer

Local state with .gitignore

Answer

terraform state push

Question 2

Which Terraform command is used to bring existing infrastructure that was created outside of Terraform under Terraform management?

Accepted Answer

terraform import. Option C is correct because `terraform import` is the dedicated command to bring existing infrastructure that was created outside of Terraform under Terraform management. It maps the real-world resource ID to a Terraform resource address in state, allowing Terraform to track and manage that resource without recreating it.

Answer

terraform state push

Answer

terraform apply

Answer

terraform refresh

Question 3

Which Terraform command is used to validate the syntax of configuration files without accessing any cloud provider?

Accepted Answer

terraform validate. `terraform validate` checks syntax and internal consistency of configuration files. `init` initializes backends and providers, `plan` accesses remote state, `fmt` formats code.

Answer

terraform fmt

Answer

terraform plan

Answer

terraform init

Question 4

A CI/CD pipeline runs 'terraform plan' and needs to automatically approve only if no resources will be destroyed. Which approach should be used?

Accepted Answer

Run 'terraform plan -out=plan.tfplan', then 'terraform show -json plan.tfplan' and parse the output for destroy actions.. Option E is correct because 'terraform plan -out=plan.tfplan' generates a plan file, and 'terraform show -json plan.tfplan' outputs it in JSON format, which can be parsed to detect destroy actions. If no destroy actions are present, the pipeline can proceed to apply. Option A is wrong because 'terraform apply -auto-approve' would apply any changes without checking for destroys. Option B is wrong because 'terraform plan -destroy' always shows a destroy plan, not a way to detect destroys in a normal plan. Option C is wrong because 'terraform fmt' only formats code, not checks for destroys. Option D is wrong because 'terraform validate' only checks syntax, not planned changes.

Answer

Run 'terraform apply -auto-approve' after a successful plan.

Answer

Run 'terraform plan -destroy' and check the exit code.

Answer

Run 'terraform fmt' to check for formatting issues.

Answer

Run 'terraform validate' to ensure no destroys are needed.

Question 5

Match each Terraform state command to its action.

Accepted Answer

terraform state list: List resources in state. The correct matches are: terraform state list → List resources in state, terraform state show → Display details of a specific resource, terraform state mv → Move an item, terraform state rm → Remove an item. Common confusions include swapping list with rm or thinking mv is primarily for renaming.

Answer

terraform state list: Remove items from state

Answer

terraform state mv: Rename a resource

Question 6

Match each Terraform function to its category.

Accepted Answer

max(): numeric. Terraform functions are categorized by the type of data they operate on. The correct matches are: max() (numeric), lower() (string), and concat() (collection). Common confusions include misclassifying functions across categories.

Answer

max(): string

Answer

lower(): collection

Question 7

Match each Terraform cloud/enterprise feature to its purpose.

Accepted Answer

Workspaces: Manage multiple environments with separate state and variables.. Workspaces isolate state and variables per environment, Sentinel enforces policies, and Run Tasks integrate third-party tools. Common confusions include mixing the roles of Workspaces and Remote State, or Sentinel with Workspaces.

Answer

Workspaces: Store and share remote state files for collaboration.

Answer

Sentinel: Provide collaborative infrastructure management with separate environments.

Question 8

Match each Terraform meta-argument to its purpose.

Accepted Answer

depends_on: Specifies hidden dependencies on other resources. Terraform meta-arguments are available across all resource types. depends_on declares hidden dependencies, count creates N copies, for_each creates copies from a collection, and lifecycle controls behavior like create_before_destroy. Common confusions include mixing the purposes of count and depends_on, or associating lifecycle with instance creation.

Answer

count: Specifies hidden dependencies on other resources

Answer

lifecycle: Creates multiple resource instances based on a count

Question 9

Match each Terraform error code to its meaning.

Accepted Answer

Exit code 0: Command succeeded without any error. Terraform exit codes indicate the result of command execution. Exit code 0 means success, 1 means general error, and 2 means usage error. The other codes are not defined by Terraform.

Answer

Exit code 0: General error during execution

Answer

Exit code 2: Command succeeded without any error

Answer

Exit code 3: State lock error

Question 10

Drag and drop the steps to import existing infrastructure into Terraform state in the correct order.

Accepted Answer

1. Write the resource configuration block in a .tf file. 2. Run terraform import with the resource address and ID. 3. Run terraform plan to verify configuration matches the real-world resource.. Import adds existing resources to state; plan shows drift between config and real world.

Answer

1. Run terraform import with the resource address and ID. 2. Write the resource configuration block in a .tf file. 3. Run terraform plan to verify configuration matches the real-world resource.

Answer

1. Run terraform plan. 2. Write the resource configuration block in a .tf file. 3. Run terraform import with the resource address and ID.

Answer

1. Write the resource configuration block in a .tf file. 2. Run terraform plan. 3. Run terraform import with the resource address and ID.

Question 11

Drag and drop the steps to initialize a Terraform working directory in the correct order.

Accepted Answer

Write Terraform configuration files, then run terraform init, then run terraform validate.. Initialization begins after writing configs; terraform init downloads providers/modules, creates .terraform directory, and validate checks syntax.

Answer

Run terraform init, then write Terraform configuration files, then run terraform validate.

Answer

Write Terraform configuration files, then run terraform validate, then run terraform init.

Answer

Run terraform validate, then write Terraform configuration files, then run terraform init.

Question 12

Drag and drop the steps to create and apply a Terraform plan in the correct order.

Accepted Answer

1. Terraform init, 2. Terraform plan, 3. Terraform apply. The correct sequence is: Terraform init (initialize the working directory and download providers/modules), Terraform plan (review the changes Terraform will make), and Terraform apply (execute the planned changes). This order ensures the environment is ready, changes are reviewed, and then safely applied.

Answer

1. Terraform plan, 2. Terraform init, 3. Terraform apply

Answer

1. Terraform init, 2. Terraform apply, 3. Terraform plan

Answer

1. Terraform plan, 2. Terraform apply, 3. Terraform init

Question 13

Drag and drop the steps to manage Terraform state locking with a backend in the correct order.

Accepted Answer

Configure backend with locking, then run terraform init, then run terraform apply, then run terraform destroy.. Backend config must include locking mechanism; init sets up backend, apply uses lock.

Answer

Run terraform init, then configure backend with locking, then run terraform apply, then run terraform destroy.

Answer

Configure backend with locking, then run terraform apply, then run terraform init, then run terraform destroy.

Answer

Run terraform apply, then configure backend with locking, then run terraform init, then run terraform destroy.

Question 14

Drag and drop the steps to set up remote state with Terraform Cloud in the correct order.

Accepted Answer

Create a workspace in Terraform Cloud, then add the cloud block to your configuration, then run terraform init.. The correct order is to first create the workspace in Terraform Cloud, then add the cloud block to your Terraform configuration referencing that workspace, and finally run terraform init which detects the cloud block and migrates the state from local to the remote workspace. Other orders fail because the workspace must exist before the cloud block is configured or init is run without proper backend configuration.

Answer

Add the cloud block to your configuration, then create a workspace in Terraform Cloud, then run terraform init.

Answer

Run terraform init, then add the cloud block to your configuration, then create a workspace in Terraform Cloud.

Answer

Create a workspace in Terraform Cloud, then run terraform init, then add the cloud block to your configuration.

Question 15

Match each Terraform variable type to its example value.

Accepted Answer

string: "hello". Terraform variable types: string uses quotes, number is numeric, bool is true/false, list is an array. Common mistakes include confusing numbers with strings and lists with bools.

Answer

string: 42

Answer

bool: ["a", "b"]

Question 16

Match each Terraform feature to its description.

Accepted Answer

Terraform State: A file that tracks the current state of resources managed by Terraform.. Terraform State tracks resource states, Providers enable API interactions, Modules bundle resources for reuse, and Workspaces manage environments. Common confusions include swapping State with Provider or Provider with Module.

Answer

Terraform State: A plugin that interacts with APIs of a specific service.

Answer

Terraform Provider: A container for multiple resources that are used together.

Question 17

Match each Terraform provisioner to its typical use case.

Accepted Answer

file: Copies files or directories to the remote machine.. The correct matches are: file provisioner for copying files to the remote machine, remote-exec for running commands on the remote machine, and local-exec for running commands locally. Common confusions include swapping the roles of file and remote-exec.

Answer

file: Runs commands on the remote resource.

Answer

remote-exec: Copies files to the local machine.

Question 18

A developer runs terraform plan and sees a large number of resources will be destroyed. They suspect the state file is corrupted. They have a recent backup of the state file. Which command can help recover the previous state from the backup?

Accepted Answer

terraform state push. The `terraform state push` command is used to manually upload a local state file to the remote backend, overwriting the current remote state. In this scenario, the developer can use a recent backup of the state file and run `terraform state push` to restore the previous state, effectively recovering from the corruption. This command directly replaces the remote state with the specified local file, allowing Terraform to revert to the known good state.

Answer

No command can recover; they must re-import all resources.

Answer

terraform state rm

Answer

terraform state pull

Question 19

A developer runs terraform apply to create an AWS EC2 instance using an AMI sourced from the aws_ami data source with most_recent = true. Immediately after apply completes, the developer runs terraform plan again. The plan shows that Terraform intends to replace the EC2 instance. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

A new AMI was released after the apply, causing the data source to return a different AMI ID.. Option A is correct because the `aws_ami` data source with `most_recent = true` dynamically queries AWS for the latest AMI matching the specified filters at plan time. If a new AMI is published between the first `apply` and the subsequent `plan`, the data source returns a different AMI ID, causing Terraform to detect a change in the AMI attribute of the EC2 instance. Since the AMI ID is a force-new attribute for `aws_instance`, Terraform plans to replace the instance.

Answer

The developer did not run terraform init before the second plan.

Answer

The instance type was changed in the configuration between apply and plan.

Answer

The Terraform state file was corrupted during the apply.

Question 20

A team is using Terraform to manage infrastructure across multiple environments (dev, test, prod). They want to reuse the same configuration but vary resource configurations like instance size and number of instances. Which Terraform feature should they use?

Accepted Answer

Terraform modules with variables. Terraform modules with variables allow you to define reusable infrastructure and pass environment-specific variable values. This is the recommended approach for code reuse across environments.

Answer

Separate directories with symlinks

Answer

Remote backends with different state files

Answer

Terraform workspaces