This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 Lambda function needs to write logs to CloudWatch Logs. The developer attaches an IAM role with a policy that allows logs:CreateLogGroup and logs:PutLogEvents. However, logs are not appearing. What is the most likely cause?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The IAM policy does not include logs:CreateLogStream.
Lambda requires the `logs:CreateLogStream` permission to create a log stream within a log group before it can write log events. Without this permission, the function can create the log group but cannot create the individual log stream needed to store log entries, causing logs to silently fail to appear.
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.
✗
The Lambda function is not configured to use a VPC.
Why it's wrong here
CloudWatch Logs does not require VPC.
✗
The IAM role does not have a trust policy that allows Lambda to assume it.
Why it's wrong here
The trust policy is required to allow Lambda to assume the role, but it is typically already configured.
✓
The IAM policy does not include logs:CreateLogStream.
Why this is correct
Lambda needs CreateLogStream to create a log stream before writing log events.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The CloudWatch Logs log group does not exist.
Why it's wrong here
Lambda can create the log group if it has CreateLogGroup permission.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume `logs:CreateLogGroup` and `logs:PutLogEvents` are sufficient, overlooking the mandatory `logs:CreateLogStream` permission required for the log stream creation step between group creation and event writing.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the Lambda runtime uses the AWS SDK to call the `CreateLogStream` API before each invocation to ensure a log stream exists for that specific execution environment. If `logs:CreateLogStream` is denied, the SDK throws an `AccessDeniedException` that is silently swallowed by the Lambda service, resulting in no logs being written. This is a common misconfiguration because developers often focus on `PutLogEvents` and `CreateLogGroup` but forget the intermediate stream creation step.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
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.
Security — This question tests Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The IAM policy does not include logs:CreateLogStream. — Lambda requires the `logs:CreateLogStream` permission to create a log stream within a log group before it can write log events. Without this permission, the function can create the log group but cannot create the individual log stream needed to store log entries, causing logs to silently fail to appear.
What should I do if I get this DVA-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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This DVA-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 DVA-C02 exam.
Question Discussion
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