The answer is Amazon RDS Multi-AZ with automatic failover because it provides synchronous replication to a standby instance in a different Availability Zone, ensuring an RPO of seconds and an RTO of a few minutes—well within the required 15-minute RTO and 1-minute RPO. This works because synchronous replication commits data to both primary and standby before acknowledging the write, so no data is lost during failover. On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of RDS Multi-AZ disaster recovery trade-offs: a common trap is choosing cross-Region replication, which uses asynchronous replication and thus has a higher RPO, or manual snapshots, which have both high RPO and RTO. Remember, for single-Region, low-RPO needs, Multi-AZ is the go-to; for cross-Region scenarios, you accept asynchronous replication. A simple memory tip: “Sync for seconds, async for regions.”
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 DevOps engineer is designing a disaster recovery plan for a critical database. The RTO is 15 minutes and RPO is 1 minute. Which solution meets these requirements?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use Amazon RDS Multi-AZ with automatic failover.
Option B is correct because Amazon RDS Multi-AZ provides synchronous replication with automatic failover, meeting RPO of seconds and RTO of a few minutes. Option A is wrong because cross-Region replication has higher RPO due to asynchronous replication. Option C is wrong because manual snapshots have high RPO and RTO. Option D is wrong because RDS Multi-AZ is cheaper and simpler than always-on EC2 replica.
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.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use Amazon RDS with cross-Region read replicas and promote one during failover.
Why it's wrong here
Cross-Region replicas are asynchronous, RPO > 1 minute.
✗
Schedule automated snapshots every 1 minute and restore in the same AZ.
Why it's wrong here
Snapshots are not real-time; RPO and RTO are too high.
✗
Deploy a standby EC2 instance with a self-managed replication script.
Why it's wrong here
Overly complex; Multi-AZ is simpler and cheaper.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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 DOP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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: Use Amazon RDS Multi-AZ with automatic failover. — Option B is correct because Amazon RDS Multi-AZ provides synchronous replication with automatic failover, meeting RPO of seconds and RTO of a few minutes. Option A is wrong because cross-Region replication has higher RPO due to asynchronous replication. Option C is wrong because manual snapshots have high RPO and RTO. Option D is wrong because RDS Multi-AZ is cheaper and simpler than always-on EC2 replica.
What should I do if I get this DOP-C02 question wrong?
Identify which DOP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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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