This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of resilient cloud solutions. 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.
Refer to the exhibit. An IAM policy is attached to an IAM role used by an EC2 instance to manage other EC2 instances. The operations team reports that the instance can start and stop other instances but cannot terminate them. However, they also notice that the instance cannot describe instances in any region other than us-east-1. What is the reason for this behavior?
The policy does not include the ec2:DescribeRegions action, which is required to describe instances in other regions.
Why wrong: DescribeRegions is not required for describing instances; you specify the region endpoint directly.
B
The Allow statement's Resource is set to '*' which only matches instances in the caller's region.
Why wrong: Resource '*' matches all resources in all regions.
C
The Deny statement for TerminateInstances implicitly denies all other EC2 actions in regions other than us-east-1.
Why wrong: Deny statements only apply to the specified actions, not implicitly to others.
D
The Deny statement only applies to TerminateInstances, but the Allow statement for DescribeInstances is not restricted by region, so the issue must be elsewhere.
Based on the policy, DescribeInstances should work globally; the reported issue is likely due to a different policy or configuration.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The Deny statement only applies to TerminateInstances, but the Allow statement for DescribeInstances is not restricted by region, so the issue must be elsewhere.
The policy explicitly allows ec2:DescribeInstances on all resources (*), which includes instances in any region. The Deny statement only applies to TerminateInstances and does not affect DescribeInstances. Therefore, based solely on this policy, the instance should be able to describe instances in any region. The reported issue must be due to another factor not shown in the exhibit (e.g., a service control policy, a trust policy, or a misconfiguration), making option D the most plausible explanation. Options A, B, and C are incorrect because DescribeInstances is not restricted by region in this policy, and DescribeRegions is not required for describing instances in other regions.
Key principle: ACLs process entries top to bottom and stop at the first match. Entry order and interface direction matter as much as the permit or deny statement.
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 policy does not include the ec2:DescribeRegions action, which is required to describe instances in other regions.
Why it's wrong here
DescribeRegions is not required for describing instances; you specify the region endpoint directly.
✗
The Allow statement's Resource is set to '*' which only matches instances in the caller's region.
Why it's wrong here
Resource '*' matches all resources in all regions.
✗
The Deny statement for TerminateInstances implicitly denies all other EC2 actions in regions other than us-east-1.
Why it's wrong here
Deny statements only apply to the specified actions, not implicitly to others.
✓
The Deny statement only applies to TerminateInstances, but the Allow statement for DescribeInstances is not restricted by region, so the issue must be elsewhere.
Why this is correct
Based on the policy, DescribeInstances should work globally; the reported issue is likely due to a different policy or configuration.
Related concept
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: ACLs stop at the first match
ACLs are processed top to bottom. The first matching entry wins, and an implicit deny usually exists at the end.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
ACL questions test precision: source, destination, protocol, port and direction. A generally correct ACL can still fail if it is applied on the wrong interface or in the wrong direction.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
Extended ACLs can match source, destination, protocol and ports.
The first matching ACL entry is used.
There is usually an implicit deny at the end.
TExam Day Tips
→Check inbound versus outbound direction.
→Read the ACL from top to bottom.
→Look for a broader permit or deny above the intended line.
Key takeaway
ACLs process entries top to bottom and stop at the first match. Entry order and interface direction matter as much as the permit or deny statement.
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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review ACL processing order, placement rules (standard near destination, extended near source), and inbound vs outbound direction. Study wildcard masks and implicit deny. Then practise related DOP-C02 ACL questions on filtering logic and placement.
Resilient Cloud Solutions — This question tests Resilient Cloud Solutions — Standard ACLs match source addresses..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The Deny statement only applies to TerminateInstances, but the Allow statement for DescribeInstances is not restricted by region, so the issue must be elsewhere. — The policy explicitly allows ec2:DescribeInstances on all resources (*), which includes instances in any region. The Deny statement only applies to TerminateInstances and does not affect DescribeInstances. Therefore, based solely on this policy, the instance should be able to describe instances in any region. The reported issue must be due to another factor not shown in the exhibit (e.g., a service control policy, a trust policy, or a misconfiguration), making option D the most plausible explanation. Options A, B, and C are incorrect because DescribeInstances is not restricted by region in this policy, and DescribeRegions is not required for describing instances in other regions.
What should I do if I get this DOP-C02 question wrong?
Review ACL processing order, placement rules (standard near destination, extended near source), and inbound vs outbound direction. Study wildcard masks and implicit deny. Then practise related DOP-C02 ACL questions on filtering logic and placement.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
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Question Discussion
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