The answer is to set up a cross-Region read replica in us-west-2 and promote it to a standalone instance during a disaster. This works because a cross-Region read replica maintains an asynchronous, near-real-time copy of the primary MySQL database, with replication lag typically measured in seconds, which easily satisfies the 5-minute RPO. Promoting the replica to a standalone instance can be completed in minutes, meeting the 1-hour RTO without the lengthy recovery time required for snapshot restores. On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of RDS disaster recovery patterns, specifically the trade-offs between read replicas and manual backups; a common trap is choosing snapshot-based recovery, which cannot meet a 5-minute RPO due to backup frequency limits. Remember the mnemonic “RR for DR” — cross-Region Read Replicas are the fastest path to Disaster Recovery when RPO is tight.
DOP-C02 Resilient Cloud Solutions Practice Question
This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of resilient cloud solutions. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 company is designing a disaster recovery plan for a MySQL database running on Amazon RDS. The database is critical and must have an RPO of 5 minutes and an RTO of 1 hour. The primary Region is us-east-1, and the DR Region is us-west-2. Which TWO steps should the company take to meet these requirements? (Choose TWO.)
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "primary"
Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create a cross-Region read replica in us-west-2.
A cross-Region read replica in us-west-2 provides a near-real-time copy of the primary database, with replication lag typically measured in seconds, easily meeting the 5-minute RPO. During a disaster, promoting this read replica to a standalone instance in us-west-2 can be completed in minutes, satisfying the 1-hour RTO. This approach avoids the recovery time needed to restore from a snapshot or backup.
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.
✓
Create a cross-Region read replica in us-west-2.
Why this is correct
Cross-Region read replicas replicate with low lag, achieving RPO under 5 minutes.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Enable automated backups with a 5-minute backup window.
Why it's wrong here
Automated backups are taken once per day, not every 5 minutes.
✗
Configure cross-Region automated snapshot copy to us-west-2.
Why it's wrong here
Snapshots are taken once per day and copy may have significant lag.
✓
Set up a process to promote the read replica to a standalone instance in us-west-2 during a disaster.
Why this is correct
Promotion takes minutes, meeting RTO of 1 hour.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Enable Multi-AZ deployment in us-east-1.
Why it's wrong here
Multi-AZ is for high availability within a Region, not for cross-Region DR.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse Multi-AZ (which provides automatic failover within a Region) with cross-Region disaster recovery, or assume that automated backups or snapshot copies can meet a low RPO/RTO when they actually require time-consuming restore operations.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
A cross-Region read replica uses MySQL's asynchronous replication, where the replica continuously applies changes from the primary's binary log (binlog). The replication lag is typically under 1 second in normal conditions, but can spike under heavy write load; monitoring the 'ReplicaLag' CloudWatch metric is critical to ensure the 5-minute RPO is not breached. Promotion of the replica to a standalone instance is a single API call (e.g., 'promote-read-replica') that breaks replication and makes the instance writable, typically completing in under 5 minutes.
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 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.
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.
Resilient Cloud Solutions — This question tests Resilient Cloud Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create a cross-Region read replica in us-west-2. — A cross-Region read replica in us-west-2 provides a near-real-time copy of the primary database, with replication lag typically measured in seconds, easily meeting the 5-minute RPO. During a disaster, promoting this read replica to a standalone instance in us-west-2 can be completed in minutes, satisfying the 1-hour RTO. This approach avoids the recovery time needed to restore from a snapshot or backup.
What should I do if I get this DOP-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: "primary". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
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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