This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of development with aws services. 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 developer invoked a Lambda function using the AWS CLI. The response includes 'FunctionError': 'Handled'. What does this indicate?
The function threw an exception that was caught by the code.
'Handled' indicates the function threw an error that was caught.
The function timed out.
Why wrong: Timeout results in 'Unhandled' error.
The function executed successfully without any errors.
Why wrong: Successful invocation does not include FunctionError.
The function experienced an unhandled runtime error.
Why wrong: Unhandled errors show FunctionError: Unhandled.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
The function threw an exception that was caught by the code.
When a Lambda function returns 'FunctionError': 'Handled', it means the code executed but threw an exception that was caught by the function's error handling logic (e.g., a try-catch block). The function did not fail due to a runtime error or timeout; instead, it explicitly handled the error and returned a response indicating the failure. This is distinct from an unhandled error, which would result in 'Unhandled'.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
The function threw an exception that was caught by the code.
Why this is correct
'Handled' indicates the function threw an error that was caught.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
The function timed out.
Why it's wrong here
Timeout results in 'Unhandled' error.
The function executed successfully without any errors.
Why it's wrong here
Successful invocation does not include FunctionError.
The function experienced an unhandled runtime error.
Why it's wrong here
Unhandled errors show FunctionError: Unhandled.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates confuse 'Handled' with a successful execution, not realizing that 'Handled' specifically indicates the function caught an exception and returned an error response, whereas a true success has no 'FunctionError' field.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
Unhandled errors show FunctionError: Unhandled.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, Lambda distinguishes between handled and unhandled errors based on the invocation type and the function's response. For synchronous invocations, a handled error is returned as a 200 OK HTTP status with the error details in the response payload, while an unhandled error returns a 4xx or 5xx status. This distinction is critical for downstream systems that rely on the invocation response to trigger retries or fallback logic, such as in Step Functions or API Gateway integrations.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
Quick reference
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
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FAQ
Development with AWS Services — This question tests Development with AWS Services — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: The function threw an exception that was caught by the code. — When a Lambda function returns 'FunctionError': 'Handled', it means the code executed but threw an exception that was caught by the function's error handling logic (e.g., a try-catch block). The function did not fail due to a runtime error or timeout; instead, it explicitly handled the error and returned a response indicating the failure. This is distinct from an unhandled error, which would result in 'Unhandled'.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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.
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