- A
Resource pooling
Why wrong: Resource pooling refers to the ability of a cloud provider to serve multiple customers from shared physical resources, with dynamic assignment of virtual and physical resources to meet demand. It does not define the split of security responsibilities.
- B
Shared responsibility model
The shared responsibility model clearly delineates between AWS's responsibility for the security of the underlying cloud infrastructure and the customer's responsibility for securing their data, applications, and configurations. This is the correct concept described in the scenario.
- C
Elasticity
Why wrong: Elasticity is the ability to automatically scale compute resources up or down based on demand. It does not address security task division.
- D
Measured service
Why wrong: Measured service means that cloud resource usage can be monitored, controlled, and reported, providing transparency for both provider and customer. This relates to billing and usage metering, not security responsibilities.
CLF-C02 Cloud Concepts Practice Question
This CLF-C02 practice question tests your understanding of cloud concepts. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company is migrating its customer-facing web application to AWS. The Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) is reviewing the division of security responsibilities. The CISO understands that AWS is responsible for the security of the physical data centers, hardware, and network infrastructure. The company, as the customer, is responsible for securing the application code, customer data, and operating system patches on Amazon EC2 instances. This division of security responsibilities is an example of which fundamental cloud computing concept?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Shared responsibility model
The correct answer is B, the shared responsibility model. This model delineates security obligations between AWS and the customer: AWS secures the cloud infrastructure (physical data centers, hardware, network), while the customer secures what is in the cloud (application code, customer data, OS patches on EC2 instances). The scenario directly describes this division, making it a textbook example of the shared responsibility model.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Resource pooling
Why it's wrong here
Resource pooling refers to the ability of a cloud provider to serve multiple customers from shared physical resources, with dynamic assignment of virtual and physical resources to meet demand. It does not define the split of security responsibilities.
When this WOULD be correct
Resource pooling would be correct in a question asking about how AWS uses multi-tenant models to serve multiple customers from shared physical resources, such as in a question about the benefits of cloud computing where the provider dynamically assigns resources to customers.
- ✓
Shared responsibility model
Why this is correct
The shared responsibility model clearly delineates between AWS's responsibility for the security of the underlying cloud infrastructure and the customer's responsibility for securing their data, applications, and configurations. This is the correct concept described in the scenario.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Elasticity
Why it's wrong here
Elasticity is the ability to automatically scale compute resources up or down based on demand. It does not address security task division.
When this WOULD be correct
A question asks: 'A company experiences unpredictable traffic spikes. Which cloud computing concept allows them to automatically add or remove EC2 instances to handle the load?' Elasticity would be the correct answer.
- ✗
Measured service
Why it's wrong here
Measured service means that cloud resource usage can be monitored, controlled, and reported, providing transparency for both provider and customer. This relates to billing and usage metering, not security responsibilities.
When this WOULD be correct
A question asks: 'Which cloud computing concept describes the ability to monitor, control, and report on resource usage for billing purposes?'
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The CLF-C02 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓Shared responsibility modelCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
The shared responsibility model clearly delineates between AWS's responsibility for the security of the underlying cloud infrastructure and the customer's responsibility for securing their data, applications, and configurations. This is the correct concept described in the scenario.
✗Resource poolingWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The question describes the division of security responsibilities between AWS and the customer, which is the definition of the shared responsibility model, not resource pooling.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
Resource pooling would be correct in a question asking about how AWS uses multi-tenant models to serve multiple customers from shared physical resources, such as in a question about the benefits of cloud computing where the provider dynamically assigns resources to customers.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse resource pooling with the shared responsibility model because both involve the concept of shared resources or responsibilities, but resource pooling refers to infrastructure sharing, not security duties.
✗ElasticityWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Elasticity refers to the ability to automatically scale resources up or down based on demand, not to the division of security responsibilities between AWS and the customer.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question asks: 'A company experiences unpredictable traffic spikes. Which cloud computing concept allows them to automatically add or remove EC2 instances to handle the load?' Elasticity would be the correct answer.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse elasticity with the shared responsibility model because both involve dynamic aspects of cloud computing, but elasticity is about scaling, not security roles.
✗Measured serviceWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Measured service refers to the metering and billing of cloud resource usage, not the division of security responsibilities between AWS and the customer.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question asks: 'Which cloud computing concept describes the ability to monitor, control, and report on resource usage for billing purposes?'
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse 'measured service' with 'shared responsibility' because both involve accountability, but measured service is about usage tracking, not security roles.
Analysis generated from the official CLF-C02blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse the shared responsibility model with elasticity or resource pooling, because all three are fundamental cloud concepts, but only the shared responsibility model defines security ownership boundaries.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the shared responsibility model, AWS manages the security of the cloud, including physical security, hypervisor isolation, and network infrastructure (e.g., VPC edge security). The customer is responsible for host-based firewalls (e.g., security groups, network ACLs), OS patching (e.g., using AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager), and data encryption at rest (e.g., AWS KMS) and in transit (e.g., TLS 1.2/1.3). A real-world scenario where this matters is a SOC 2 audit: the customer must demonstrate proper OS patch management on EC2, while AWS provides attestation for its physical and hypervisor security controls.
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.
TExam Day Tips
- 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.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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Cloud Concepts — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CLF-C02 question test?
Cloud Concepts — This question tests Cloud Concepts — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Shared responsibility model — The correct answer is B, the shared responsibility model. This model delineates security obligations between AWS and the customer: AWS secures the cloud infrastructure (physical data centers, hardware, network), while the customer secures what is in the cloud (application code, customer data, OS patches on EC2 instances). The scenario directly describes this division, making it a textbook example of the shared responsibility model.
What should I do if I get this CLF-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This CLF-C02 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CLF-C02 exam.
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