← DVA-C02·Amazon Web Services

Question 834 of 1,616

Development with AWS Services →mediumMultiple SelectObjective-mapped

Lambda Timeout for Large S3 Files

This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of development with aws services. 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 developer is troubleshooting a Lambda function that times out when processing large files from Amazon S3. The function is configured with a 3-minute timeout and 128 MB memory. Which TWO actions would MOST likely resolve the issue? (Choose TWO.)

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.

A
Use S3 multipart upload for large files to improve throughput.
Why wrong: S3 multipart upload is designed for uploading large objects to S3, not for reading/downloading from S3. It does not improve the speed at which Lambda reads the file from S3, so it will not resolve the timeout issue.
B
Increase the memory allocation for the Lambda function.
Increasing memory allocation also increases CPU and network bandwidth, which accelerates file processing and helps the function complete within the timeout.
C
Change the S3 event notification to send messages to an Amazon SQS queue instead.
Why wrong: Using SQS decouples event delivery but does not speed up the processing of a single large file; it does not resolve the timeout.
D
Update the Lambda function code to use a more efficient algorithm.
Why wrong: While a more efficient algorithm could theoretically help, it is a vague suggestion and not the most likely solution compared to increasing memory or timeout.
E
Increase the Lambda function timeout to 15 minutes.
Increasing the timeout directly prevents the function from timing out, allowing it more time to process large files.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Increase the memory allocation for the Lambda function.

Option B is correct because increasing the memory allocation for a Lambda function also increases CPU and network bandwidth, which can significantly speed up the processing of large files, helping the function complete within the timeout. Option E is correct because increasing the Lambda function timeout directly addresses the timeout issue, giving the function more time to complete processing large files. Option A is incorrect because S3 multipart upload is used for uploading large objects to S3, not for downloading/reading from S3; it does not improve data ingestion into a Lambda function. Option C is incorrect because sending events to SQS does not affect the processing speed of a single large file; it only decouples the event source. Option D is too generic; while a more efficient algorithm could help, it is not a guaranteed or most likely fix compared to increasing memory or timeout.

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.

✗
Use S3 multipart upload for large files to improve throughput.
Why it's wrong here
S3 multipart upload is designed for uploading large objects to S3, not for reading/downloading from S3. It does not improve the speed at which Lambda reads the file from S3, so it will not resolve the timeout issue.
✓
Increase the memory allocation for the Lambda function.
Why this is correct
Increasing memory allocation also increases CPU and network bandwidth, which accelerates file processing and helps the function complete within the timeout.
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.
✗
Change the S3 event notification to send messages to an Amazon SQS queue instead.
Why it's wrong here
Using SQS decouples event delivery but does not speed up the processing of a single large file; it does not resolve the timeout.
✗
Update the Lambda function code to use a more efficient algorithm.
Why it's wrong here
While a more efficient algorithm could theoretically help, it is a vague suggestion and not the most likely solution compared to increasing memory or timeout.
✓
Increase the Lambda function timeout to 15 minutes.
Why this is correct
Increasing the timeout directly prevents the function from timing out, allowing it more time to process large files.
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.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap is that candidates may incorrectly assume S3 multipart upload speeds up reading from S3, when it is only for uploading. A common mistake is to overlook increasing timeout as a valid fix, but in the AWS Developer Associate exam, both memory increase and timeout increase are standard solutions for Lambda timeouts.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Lambda's memory allocation directly correlates with vCPU allocation and network throughput; at 128 MB, the function receives minimal CPU credits and limited bandwidth, making large file processing slow. S3 multipart upload uses parallel uploads of 5 MB to 5 GB parts, which can be processed concurrently by Lambda, reducing overall transfer time. In practice, for files over 100 MB, multipart upload can be 3-5x faster than single-part uploads, and increasing memory to 512 MB or more often yields proportional performance gains.

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.

Visual reference

Quick reference

AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison

Storage Class	Min Duration	Retrieval	Use Case
S3 Standard	None	Immediate	Frequently accessed data
S3 Standard-IA	30 days	Immediate	Infrequent access, rapid retrieval
S3 One Zone-IA	30 days	Immediate	Non-critical infrequent data
S3 Intelligent-Tiering	None	Immediate–hours	Unknown or changing access patterns
S3 Glacier Instant	90 days	Milliseconds	Archive with instant retrieval
S3 Glacier Flexible	90 days	Minutes–hours	Archive, flexible retrieval
S3 Glacier Deep Archive	180 days	Hours	Long-term compliance archive

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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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this DVA-C02 question test?

Development with AWS Services — This question tests Development with AWS Services — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Increase the memory allocation for the Lambda function. — Option B is correct because increasing the memory allocation for a Lambda function also increases CPU and network bandwidth, which can significantly speed up the processing of large files, helping the function complete within the timeout. Option E is correct because increasing the Lambda function timeout directly addresses the timeout issue, giving the function more time to complete processing large files. Option A is incorrect because S3 multipart upload is used for uploading large objects to S3, not for downloading/reading from S3; it does not improve data ingestion into a Lambda function. Option C is incorrect because sending events to SQS does not affect the processing speed of a single large file; it only decouples the event source. Option D is too generic; while a more efficient algorithm could help, it is not a guaranteed or most likely fix compared to increasing memory or timeout.

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.