TF-003 Timed Practice Test 2 — 10 Questions

Question 1

Match each Terraform workflow stage to its description.

Question 2

Match each Terraform error code to its meaning.

Question 3

Match each Terraform variable type to its example value.

Question 4

A team is adopting Terraform to manage infrastructure. One requirement is that all configuration changes must be reviewed and approved before being applied. The team wants to ensure that the Terraform state file reflects the actual deployed infrastructure at all times. Which practice should they implement to meet these requirements?

Accepted Answer

Store state remotely and use a version control system with pull requests to review changes before applying.. Storing state remotely (e.g., in S3, Azure Storage, or Terraform Cloud) enables state locking and versioning, which is essential for team collaboration. Using a version control system with pull requests ensures that all configuration changes are reviewed and approved before being applied, meeting the requirement for change control. This combination also ensures the state file accurately reflects deployed infrastructure by preventing concurrent modifications and providing an audit trail.

Answer

Store state locally and use a manual approval process outside of Terraform.

Answer

Store state locally and use a shared network drive for team access.

Answer

Have each team member run terraform apply from their local machine after informal discussion.

Question 5

Which THREE of the following are benefits of using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) compared to manual infrastructure management?

Accepted Answer

Automated testing and deployment pipelines can be integrated.. Option A is correct because IaC enables infrastructure to be defined in code, which can be integrated into automated CI/CD pipelines. Tools like Terraform or AWS CloudFormation allow infrastructure validation, testing, and deployment to be automated, reducing human error and speeding up delivery.

Answer

The same code can be used for any cloud provider without modification.

Answer

No learning curve is required; existing knowledge of manual processes applies directly.

Question 6

A company wants to use Terraform to manage resources across AWS and Azure. They need a single workflow that can apply changes to both providers. What is the best practice?

Accepted Answer

Define both providers in a single configuration. Option D is correct because Terraform allows multiple providers to be defined in a single configuration, enabling a unified workflow to manage resources across AWS and Azure. By declaring both providers in the same root module, a single `terraform apply` can create, update, or destroy resources from both clouds in the correct order, leveraging Terraform's dependency graph to handle cross-provider dependencies. This is the recommended best practice for multi-cloud management with a single workflow.

Answer

Use separate Terraform configurations for each provider

Answer

Use Terraform Cloud workspaces with different providers

Answer

Use Terraform workspaces to separate providers

Question 7

During a `terraform apply`, the operation fails mid-way due to a network outage, leaving some resources created. The operator wants to resume applying from where it left off without destroying the already-created resources. What should they do?

Accepted Answer

Run terraform apply again. Option A is correct because Terraform uses a state file to track the resources it manages. When `terraform apply` fails mid-way, the state file is updated to reflect the resources that were successfully created. Running `terraform apply` again will cause Terraform to compare the current state with the configuration, detect that the already-created resources exist, and proceed to create only the remaining resources, effectively resuming from where it left off without destroying anything.

Answer

Run terraform destroy and then apply

Answer

Run terraform refresh

Answer

Run terraform apply -auto-approve

Question 8

A company uses Terraform to manage infrastructure across multiple AWS accounts. They want to use a single S3 bucket to store state files for all accounts, but ensure that state files are isolated per account. What is the best approach?

Accepted Answer

Use separate state files with unique S3 key prefixes per account. Option B is correct because using separate state files with unique S3 key prefixes per account ensures that each AWS account's Terraform state is stored in the same S3 bucket but logically isolated. This approach leverages S3's hierarchical key structure to prevent cross-account state contamination, while still allowing centralized management. Terraform's backend configuration supports dynamic key prefixes (e.g., `key = "account-${var.account_id}/terraform.tfstate"`), enabling per-account isolation without requiring separate buckets or workspaces.

Answer

Use Terraform workspaces with a single state file

Answer

Store all state in the same S3 key

Answer

Use a DynamoDB table with different lock IDs per account

Question 9

During a 'terraform plan', you see the following output: 'Plan: 1 to add, 2 to change, 0 to destroy.' However, after running 'terraform apply', the actual number of resources changed is different. What is the most likely reason?

Accepted Answer

The configuration was modified after the plan was generated.. The plan is based on the state and configuration at the time of planning. If someone else applies changes concurrently or if the configuration changes between plan and apply, the plan becomes stale. Option A is wrong because refreshing state doesn't change the plan. Option C is wrong because 'terraform apply' does not modify configuration. Option D is wrong because locking prevents concurrent applies but doesn't cause discrepancy if the plan is still valid.

Answer

Terraform state locking prevented the apply from executing correctly.

Answer

The state file was corrupted during the apply.

Answer

The 'terraform apply' command includes an implicit refresh that changes the plan.

Question 10

A team is using a remote backend in Terraform Cloud. After a failed apply, the state file is locked. The team lead wants to unlock the state immediately. What should be done?

Accepted Answer

Run terraform force-unlock with the lock ID. The `terraform force-unlock` command with the lock ID is the correct way to manually unlock a state file in Terraform Cloud after a failed apply. This command overrides the backend's lock mechanism, which is designed to prevent concurrent modifications and state corruption. Deleting or editing the state file would bypass Terraform's safety guarantees and risk data loss or inconsistency.

Answer

Delete the state file from the backend and reinitialize

Answer

Manually edit the state file to remove the lock

Answer

Run terraform unlock