This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of sdlc automation. 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.
The exhibit shows an IAM policy attached to an AWS Lambda execution role. The Lambda function is triggered by an S3 event and writes to the same bucket. However, the function fails with a permission error when trying to write to 'my-bucket'. What is the likely issue?
The S3 bucket is in a different region than the Lambda function.
Why wrong: Cross-region S3 events are supported; permissions would still work.
B
The policy is missing the 'lambda:InvokeFunction' permission on the function itself.
Why wrong: The function invokes itself? Not needed; the error is about S3.
C
The Lambda function does not have an S3 trigger configured.
Why wrong: The trigger is separate from IAM permissions; the error is permission-related.
D
The policy grants s3:PutObject only on objects (my-bucket/*), but the action also requires permission on the bucket (my-bucket) for certain operations like s3:PutObject with ACLs.
Some S3 operations require bucket-level permissions; adding a statement for the bucket ARN without /* can resolve.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The policy grants s3:PutObject only on objects (my-bucket/*), but the action also requires permission on the bucket (my-bucket) for certain operations like s3:PutObject with ACLs.
The correct answer is D because the IAM policy grants s3:PutObject only on objects within the bucket (my-bucket/*), but certain S3 operations, such as s3:PutObject when specifying an ACL or when the bucket requires bucket-level permissions for cross-account access, also require the s3:PutObject action on the bucket resource itself (my-bucket). Without this bucket-level permission, the Lambda function fails with a permission error when attempting to write objects that involve bucket-level checks.
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.
✗
The S3 bucket is in a different region than the Lambda function.
Why it's wrong here
Cross-region S3 events are supported; permissions would still work.
✗
The policy is missing the 'lambda:InvokeFunction' permission on the function itself.
Why it's wrong here
The function invokes itself? Not needed; the error is about S3.
✗
The Lambda function does not have an S3 trigger configured.
Why it's wrong here
The trigger is separate from IAM permissions; the error is permission-related.
✓
The policy grants s3:PutObject only on objects (my-bucket/*), but the action also requires permission on the bucket (my-bucket) for certain operations like s3:PutObject with ACLs.
Why this is correct
Some S3 operations require bucket-level permissions; adding a statement for the bucket ARN without /* can resolve.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume granting s3:PutObject on the object ARN (my-bucket/*) is sufficient, overlooking that some S3 operations implicitly require bucket-level permissions, especially when ACLs or bucket policies are involved.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, when a Lambda function writes to an S3 bucket using the AWS SDK, the s3:PutObject API call may require both object-level and bucket-level permissions depending on the request parameters, such as if the request includes an ACL or if the bucket policy enforces bucket-owner-full-control. In real-world scenarios, this often occurs when using cross-account buckets or when the bucket has a bucket policy that denies access unless the principal has explicit bucket-level s3:PutObject permission, leading to a confusing 'Access Denied' error even though object-level permissions appear correct.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
Visual reference
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
Storage Class
Min Duration
Retrieval
Use Case
S3 Standard
None
Immediate
Frequently accessed data
S3 Standard-IA
30 days
Immediate
Infrequent access, rapid retrieval
S3 One Zone-IA
30 days
Immediate
Non-critical infrequent data
S3 Intelligent-Tiering
None
Immediate–hours
Unknown or changing access patterns
S3 Glacier Instant
90 days
Milliseconds
Archive with instant retrieval
S3 Glacier Flexible
90 days
Minutes–hours
Archive, flexible retrieval
S3 Glacier Deep Archive
180 days
Hours
Long-term compliance archive
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.
SDLC Automation — This question tests SDLC Automation — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The policy grants s3:PutObject only on objects (my-bucket/*), but the action also requires permission on the bucket (my-bucket) for certain operations like s3:PutObject with ACLs. — The correct answer is D because the IAM policy grants s3:PutObject only on objects within the bucket (my-bucket/*), but certain S3 operations, such as s3:PutObject when specifying an ACL or when the bucket requires bucket-level permissions for cross-account access, also require the s3:PutObject action on the bucket resource itself (my-bucket). Without this bucket-level permission, the Lambda function fails with a permission error when attempting to write objects that involve bucket-level checks.
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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Question Discussion
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