Question 1mediummultiple choice
Full question →mediummultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A developer monitors an AWS Lambda function that processes messages from an Amazon SQS queue. CloudWatch logs show that the function's execution time has increased significantly over the past week, and it now frequently times out at the 5-minute timeout. The function's code has not been changed recently. The function makes calls to an Amazon DynamoDB table. What is the most likely cause of the increased execution time?
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
Best answer
The DynamoDB table's read capacity units are underprovisioned, causing throttling.
Underprovisioned capacity throttles read/write requests, causing Lambda to retry, increasing execution time and potentially causing timeouts.
B
Distractor review
The SQS queue's visibility timeout is too short, causing duplicate processing.
A short visibility timeout could cause duplicate messages but would not directly increase execution time; it could even decrease it as messages are reprocessed.
C
Distractor review
The Lambda function's memory is too low, causing CPU throttling.
If memory were insufficient, the function would likely fail with out-of-memory errors, not consistently reach the 5-minute timeout.
D
Distractor review
The DynamoDB table's indexes are missing, causing full table scans.
Missing indexes could increase query time, but full table scans are only done with Scan operations, not typical Get/Query patterns. Also, this would not appear suddenly without code or schema changes.
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.
Related practice questions
Related DVA-C02 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
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 is building a REST API using Amazon API Gateway that will serve static content from an Amazon S3 bucket. The API should cache responses for frequently accessed objects to reduce latency. Which API Gateway feature should the developer enable?
Question 2
A developer is running a web application on multiple Amazon EC2 instances behind an Application Load Balancer (ALB). The application needs to store user session state that must be available across all instances. The session data is small and temporary but must survive individual instance failures. Which AWS service should the developer use to store this session state?
Question 3
A developer has an AWS Lambda function that processes messages from an Amazon SQS standard queue. The function is idempotent and currently has a batch size of 10. The developer wants to increase throughput and increases the batch size to 100. After the change, CloudWatch metrics show a significant increase in throttles and the queue backlog is growing. The function's reserved concurrency is set to 10. What is the most effective action to resolve the throttling and improve throughput?
Question 4
A developer is managing an application running on Amazon EC2 instances behind an Application Load Balancer. Users report that the application becomes unresponsive after several hours, and restarting the instance temporarily fixes the issue. The developer suspects a memory leak but cannot add custom instrumentation. Which AWS service can collect memory utilization metrics and help identify the memory leak with minimal configuration?
Question 5
A developer is building a serverless web application using AWS Lambda and Amazon DynamoDB. The application needs to perform complex aggregations on data stored in DynamoDB. Which AWS service should the developer use to perform these aggregations efficiently without reading all the data into Lambda?
Question 6
A developer has an Amazon S3 bucket containing private user documents. The application must generate a time-limited URL for users to download their own documents without requiring the users to have AWS credentials. Which solution should the developer use?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DVA-C02 question test?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The DynamoDB table's read capacity units are underprovisioned, causing throttling. — When a Lambda function times out consistently without code changes, it's often due to a downstream service slowing down. For DynamoDB, underprovisioned capacity leads to throttling, causing retries and increased execution time. The function's code hasn't changed, so the workload likely increased, exceeding the table's provisioned capacity.
What should I do if I get this DVA-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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