- A
Create a CloudWatch alarm to terminate the instance
Why wrong: Auto Scaling already handles termination; direct termination may cause issues.
- B
Configure Auto Scaling to replace unhealthy instances
Auto Scaling can automatically terminate and launch instances based on health checks.
- C
Configure the ALB health check to mark instances as unhealthy
ALB health checks are used by Auto Scaling to determine instance health.
- D
Set up Amazon SNS notifications for Auto Scaling events
SNS can notify the team when instances are terminated.
- E
Create a scaling policy based on CPU utilization
Why wrong: Scaling policies adjust capacity but do not replace failed instances.
Question 747 of 1,750
DOP-C02 Incident and Event Response Practice Question
This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of incident and event response. 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 company runs a critical application on EC2 instances behind an Application Load Balancer (ALB) in an Auto Scaling group. The team wants to automate the response to an instance failure. Which THREE steps should be taken to ensure automatic recovery and notification?
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
✓
Configure Auto Scaling to replace unhealthy instances
Option B is correct because configuring the Auto Scaling group to replace unhealthy instances ensures that when an instance fails health checks, Auto Scaling automatically terminates it and launches a new instance to maintain the desired capacity. This is the core mechanism for automated recovery in an Auto Scaling group, as it directly responds to instance failure without manual intervention.
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 CloudWatch alarm to terminate the instance
Why it's wrong here
Auto Scaling already handles termination; direct termination may cause issues.
- ✓
Configure Auto Scaling to replace unhealthy instances
Why this is correct
Auto Scaling can automatically terminate and launch instances based on health checks.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Configure the ALB health check to mark instances as unhealthy
Why this is correct
ALB health checks are used by Auto Scaling to determine instance health.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Set up Amazon SNS notifications for Auto Scaling events
Why this is correct
SNS can notify the team when instances are terminated.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Create a scaling policy based on CPU utilization
Why it's wrong here
Scaling policies adjust capacity but do not replace failed instances.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse CloudWatch alarms (Option A) for instance recovery, but CloudWatch alarms are for monitoring and triggering actions like scaling policies or SNS notifications, not for directly replacing failed instances in an Auto Scaling group.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the ALB health check sends periodic HTTP/HTTPS requests to the instance's health check endpoint (e.g., /health) and marks the instance as unhealthy if it fails to respond within the configured timeout or returns a non-2xx/3xx status code. The Auto Scaling group then uses the Amazon EC2 instance status check and the ELB health check results to determine instance health; when an instance is marked unhealthy, Auto Scaling automatically terminates it and launches a replacement, ensuring the application remains available.
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.
- →
Incident and Event Response — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DOP-C02 question test?
Incident and Event Response — This question tests Incident and Event Response — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure Auto Scaling to replace unhealthy instances — Option B is correct because configuring the Auto Scaling group to replace unhealthy instances ensures that when an instance fails health checks, Auto Scaling automatically terminates it and launches a new instance to maintain the desired capacity. This is the core mechanism for automated recovery in an Auto Scaling group, as it directly responds to instance failure without manual intervention.
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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