This MLS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data engineering. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 is streaming data from thousands of devices using Amazon Kinesis Data Streams. The data is consumed by a AWS Lambda function that processes each record. The Lambda function is experiencing high error rates and throttling due to the volume of data. Which action would MOST effectively improve the processing throughput and reduce errors?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Increase the number of shards in the Kinesis stream
Increasing the number of shards increases the stream's capacity. Using a larger batch size in Lambda (option B) can improve throughput but may cause timeout. Using SQS (option C) introduces another queue. Using Firehose (option D) changes the architecture. Increasing shards is the most direct way to increase throughput.
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.
✗
Send the data to Amazon SQS first and then process with Lambda
Why it's wrong here
Adding SQS introduces latency and does not address the core stream capacity issue.
✗
Use Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose instead of Kinesis Data Streams
Why it's wrong here
Firehose is for delivery to destinations, not for real-time processing with Lambda.
✗
Increase the Lambda function's batch size and reduce the batch window
Why it's wrong here
Larger batch sizes can cause timeouts; reducing batch window increases invocation frequency.
✓
Increase the number of shards in the Kinesis stream
Why this is correct
More shards increase parallelism and throughput, reducing throttling.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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 MLS-C01 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.
Data Engineering — This question tests Data Engineering — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Increase the number of shards in the Kinesis stream — Increasing the number of shards increases the stream's capacity. Using a larger batch size in Lambda (option B) can improve throughput but may cause timeout. Using SQS (option C) introduces another queue. Using Firehose (option D) changes the architecture. Increasing shards is the most direct way to increase throughput.
What should I do if I get this MLS-C01 question wrong?
Identify which MLS-C01 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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This MLS-C01 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 MLS-C01 exam.
Question Discussion
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