Question 1mediummultiple choice
Full question →mediummultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A media company produces video content and stores all videos in Amazon S3. New videos are accessed frequently for the first 30 days after release. After that, access drops significantly, but the company must retain all videos for 5 years for archival purposes. The company wants to minimize storage costs without compromising retrieval speed for the frequently accessed period. Which S3 storage class strategy should the company implement?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Distractor review
Store all videos in S3 Standard for the entire 5-year retention period.
S3 Standard is optimized for frequently accessed data, but storing all videos in this class for 5 years would incur high costs for data that is rarely accessed after the first 30 days. This does not minimize storage costs.
B
Distractor review
Store all videos in S3 Glacier Deep Archive immediately upon upload.
S3 Glacier Deep Archive provides the lowest storage cost, but retrieval times range from 12 to 48 hours. This would cause unacceptable delays for the frequent access required during the first 30 days after release.
C
Best answer
Store newly uploaded videos in S3 Standard, then use an S3 Lifecycle policy to transition them to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 30 days.
S3 Standard provides low-latency access for the first 30 days. An S3 Lifecycle policy automatically moves data to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after that period, minimizing long-term storage costs while meeting the archival retention requirement.
D
Distractor review
Store newly uploaded videos in S3 One Zone-IA, then transition to S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval after 30 days.
S3 One Zone-IA is not suitable for archival because it stores data in a single Availability Zone and has lower durability. Additionally, S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval is more expensive than S3 Glacier Deep Archive for long-term archival, so this option does not minimize cost as effectively.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A developer needs to launch a test server for a new application prototype. The developer logs into the AWS Management Console, selects an Amazon EC2 instance type, configures the security group, and starts the instance. The instance is running within two minutes, and the developer did not need to submit a formal request to the company's IT procurement team or wait for approval from a cloud administrator. Which essential characteristic of cloud computing does this scenario best demonstrate?
Question 2
A solutions architect is planning a new web application on AWS. The workload will include 3 Amazon EC2 instances (t3.medium) running 24/7, an Application Load Balancer, and an Amazon RDS for MySQL db.t3.small database. The architect needs to estimate the monthly cost for the first year, considering different purchasing options (On-Demand, 1-year All Upfront Reserved Instance, and Compute Savings Plan). Which AWS tool should the architect use to create this estimate?
Question 3
A company's development team frequently needs temporary test environments. A developer can log into the AWS Management Console, select an Amazon EC2 instance type, configure storage, and launch the instance within minutes without any interaction with the IT infrastructure team. This capability is an example of which essential characteristic of cloud computing?
Question 4
A company's finance team needs to analyze AWS spending in detail. They require a report that includes hourly cost data for each AWS service, each individual resource (e.g., a specific EC2 instance), and any cost allocation tags applied. The team plans to export this data to an Amazon S3 bucket and then import it into a custom business intelligence (BI) analytics dashboard. Which AWS tool should the finance team use to generate this level of detailed cost data?
Question 5
A company uses AWS for its development environment. The finance team wants to set a monthly budget of $10,000. They want to receive an email notification when the actual costs reach 80% of the budget ($8,000) and again when costs exceed the budget. The team needs a managed AWS service that can automatically send these alerts without requiring custom code or third-party tools. Which AWS service should the team use?
Question 6
A company uses AWS Organizations to manage multiple accounts. The security team needs to enforce a policy that restricts SSH access (port 22) from the internet (0.0.0.0/0) in all VPCs across all accounts. The team wants to centrally define the allowed rules and automatically apply them to newly created VPCs and security groups, while also automatically remediating any existing non-compliant security groups. Which AWS service should the team use?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CLF-C02 question test?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Store newly uploaded videos in S3 Standard, then use an S3 Lifecycle policy to transition them to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 30 days. — The correct approach is to use S3 Standard for the first 30 days to provide low-latency access for frequent downloads, then transition to S3 Glacier Deep Archive for cost-effective long-term retention. S3 Standard is designed for frequently accessed data. S3 Glacier Deep Archive is the lowest-cost storage class for long-term archival data that is accessed rarely (typically once or twice per year). An S3 Lifecycle policy automates the transition between storage classes. Option A is too expensive for the entire 5-year period. Option B would cause unacceptable latency during the first 30 days (retrieval times up to 12 hours). Option D uses S3 One Zone-IA, which is not suitable for archival because it stores data in a single Availability Zone and lacks the durability needed for long-term retention; it is also not the cheapest option for archival.
What should I do if I get this CLF-C02 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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