← DOP-C02·Amazon Web Services

Question 847 of 1,750

Monitoring and Logging →easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

DOP-C02 Monitoring and Logging Practice Question

This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of monitoring and logging. 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 DevOps engineer notices that a CloudWatch alarm for high CPU utilization on an EC2 instance is not triggering despite the CPU consistently above the threshold. The instance is in a VPC with a public subnet and has internet access. What is the most likely cause?

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
The EC2 instance does not have a public IP address.
Why wrong: Incorrect. CloudWatch can collect metrics from instances without a public IP if a VPC endpoint or NAT gateway is used. Public IP is not required for standard metrics.
B
The instance is using basic monitoring (5-minute intervals) which delays the alarm.
Correct. Basic monitoring publishes metrics every 5 minutes. If the alarm's period is shorter than 5 minutes, the alarm never receives metric data and cannot trigger.
C
The IAM role attached to the instance does not have the cloudwatch:PutMetricData permission.
Why wrong: Incorrect. CPU utilization is a standard EC2 metric sent automatically by the hypervisor. No IAM role permissions are needed for standard metrics.
D
The CloudWatch alarm is in the 'INSUFFICIENT_DATA' state because the instance is stopped.
Why wrong: Incorrect. The instance is running and sending data. INSUFFICIENT_DATA would occur only if no metric data is received, which would not be the case if the instance is running and monitoring is enabled.

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

✓

The instance is using basic monitoring (5-minute intervals) which delays the alarm.

Option B is correct. With basic monitoring, EC2 metrics are published to CloudWatch every 5 minutes. If the CloudWatch alarm is configured with a period shorter than 5 minutes (e.g., 1 minute), it will never receive metric data points at that interval, so the alarm cannot evaluate and trigger. Even though the CPU is consistently above the threshold, the alarm never fires because it is missing data. Option A is incorrect because CloudWatch can collect metrics from instances without a public IP via a VPC endpoint. Option C is incorrect because CPU utilization metrics are standard metrics sent automatically by the hypervisor and do not require any IAM permissions on the instance. Option D is incorrect because the instance is running and sending data, so the alarm state would not be INSUFFICIENT_DATA; if it were, the alarm would show that state, not fail to trigger.

Key principle: Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

✗
The EC2 instance does not have a public IP address.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. CloudWatch can collect metrics from instances without a public IP if a VPC endpoint or NAT gateway is used. Public IP is not required for standard metrics.
✓
The instance is using basic monitoring (5-minute intervals) which delays the alarm.
Why this is correct
Correct. Basic monitoring publishes metrics every 5 minutes. If the alarm's period is shorter than 5 minutes, the alarm never receives metric data and cannot trigger.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
✗
The IAM role attached to the instance does not have the cloudwatch:PutMetricData permission.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. CPU utilization is a standard EC2 metric sent automatically by the hypervisor. No IAM role permissions are needed for standard metrics.
✗
The CloudWatch alarm is in the 'INSUFFICIENT_DATA' state because the instance is stopped.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. The instance is running and sending data. INSUFFICIENT_DATA would occur only if no metric data is received, which would not be the case if the instance is running and monitoring is enabled.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: usable hosts are not the same as total addresses

Subnetting questions often tempt you into counting all addresses. In normal IPv4 subnets, the network and broadcast addresses are not usable host addresses.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Subnetting questions test whether you can identify the network, broadcast address, usable range, mask and correct subnet. Slow down enough to calculate the block size correctly.

KKey Concepts to Remember

CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
Block size helps identify subnet boundaries.
Network and broadcast addresses are not usable hosts in normal IPv4 subnets.
The required host count determines the smallest suitable subnet.

TExam Day Tips

Write the block size before choosing the subnet.
Check whether the question asks for hosts, subnets or a specific address range.
Do not confuse /24, /25, /26 and /27 host counts.

Key takeaway

Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.

Real-world example

How this comes up in practice

A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.

Visual reference

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Review block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related DOP-C02 subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.

Related DOP-C02 practice-question pages

Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.

Configuration Management and IaC practice questions

Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to Configuration Management and IaC.

Resilient Cloud Solutions practice questions

Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to Resilient Cloud Solutions.

Monitoring and Logging practice questions

Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to Monitoring and Logging.

Incident and Event Response practice questions

Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to Incident and Event Response.

Security and Compliance practice questions

Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to Security and Compliance.

SDLC Automation practice questions

Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to SDLC Automation.

DOP-C02 fundamentals practice questions

Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to DOP-C02 fundamentals.

DOP-C02 scenario practice questions

Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to DOP-C02 scenario.

DOP-C02 troubleshooting practice questions

Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to DOP-C02 troubleshooting.

Practice this exam

Start a free DOP-C02 practice session

Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.

10 questions 20 questions 30 questions 50 questions Timed 30

DOP-C02 practice-test guide →Study guide →Browse all practice tests

FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this DOP-C02 question test?

Monitoring and Logging — This question tests Monitoring and Logging — CIDR notation defines the prefix length..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: The instance is using basic monitoring (5-minute intervals) which delays the alarm. — Option B is correct. With basic monitoring, EC2 metrics are published to CloudWatch every 5 minutes. If the CloudWatch alarm is configured with a period shorter than 5 minutes (e.g., 1 minute), it will never receive metric data points at that interval, so the alarm cannot evaluate and trigger. Even though the CPU is consistently above the threshold, the alarm never fires because it is missing data. Option A is incorrect because CloudWatch can collect metrics from instances without a public IP via a VPC endpoint. Option C is incorrect because CPU utilization metrics are standard metrics sent automatically by the hypervisor and do not require any IAM permissions on the instance. Option D is incorrect because the instance is running and sending data, so the alarm state would not be INSUFFICIENT_DATA; if it were, the alarm would show that state, not fail to trigger.

What should I do if I get this DOP-C02 question wrong?

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?

CIDR notation defines the prefix length.

About these practice questions

Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →

How Courseiva writes practice questions · Editorial policy

Keep practising

Question Discussion

Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.

Loading comments…

This DOP-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 DOP-C02 exam.