DVA-C02 Troubleshooting and Optimization Practice Question
This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of troubleshooting and optimization. Examine the command output carefully: the correct answer depends on what the output actually shows, not on general recall alone. 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 developer has deployed an AWS Lambda function that is triggered by an Amazon S3 event. The function processes image files and stores metadata in an Amazon DynamoDB table. CloudWatch metrics show that the function's error count has increased. The developer checks CloudWatch Logs and sees errors related to insufficient memory. The function is configured with 128 MB of memory. What should the developer do to resolve the errors?
Increase the function's memory to 256 MB or higher.
Increasing memory alleviates the out-of-memory error and also increases CPU power, which will help process images faster.
B
Increase the function's timeout to 30 seconds.
Why wrong: Timeout is not related to memory errors. The error is about memory exhaustion, not time.
C
Reduce the size of the images being uploaded to S3.
Why wrong: Controlling uploads is not a solution; the function should be able to handle large images. Also, the developer may not control the input size.
D
Move the DynamoDB write operation to an asynchronous invocation.
Why wrong: Asynchronous invocation does not free up memory. The memory issue is during processing, not during I/O.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Increase the function's memory to 256 MB or higher.
The error is caused by insufficient memory, which directly impacts the CPU and execution resources allocated to the Lambda function. Increasing the memory allocation to 256 MB or higher provides more CPU throughput and memory, resolving the out-of-memory errors without requiring code changes.
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.
✓
Increase the function's memory to 256 MB or higher.
Why this is correct
Increasing memory alleviates the out-of-memory error and also increases CPU power, which will help process images faster.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Increase the function's timeout to 30 seconds.
Why it's wrong here
Timeout is not related to memory errors. The error is about memory exhaustion, not time.
✗
Reduce the size of the images being uploaded to S3.
Why it's wrong here
Controlling uploads is not a solution; the function should be able to handle large images. Also, the developer may not control the input size.
✗
Move the DynamoDB write operation to an asynchronous invocation.
Why it's wrong here
Asynchronous invocation does not free up memory. The memory issue is during processing, not during I/O.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse memory errors with timeout errors and incorrectly choose to increase the timeout, but the logs explicitly state insufficient memory, not duration limits.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Lambda allocates CPU proportionally to memory, so doubling memory from 128 MB to 256 MB also doubles available CPU, which can speed up image processing and reduce peak memory usage. The error manifests as 'Error: Runtime exited with error: signal: killed' or 'Task timed out after X seconds' when memory is exhausted, but the logs explicitly mention insufficient memory, not timeout. In practice, image processing libraries like Pillow or Sharp may require 200-300 MB for large images, making 128 MB insufficient.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
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.
Troubleshooting and Optimization — This question tests Troubleshooting and Optimization — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Increase the function's memory to 256 MB or higher. — The error is caused by insufficient memory, which directly impacts the CPU and execution resources allocated to the Lambda function. Increasing the memory allocation to 256 MB or higher provides more CPU throughput and memory, resolving the out-of-memory errors without requiring code changes.
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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