The correct answer involves two steps: configuring an S3 bucket policy that grants access to the Glue service role from the other account, and creating an IAM role in the second account that the Glue job can assume with permissions to read from the S3 bucket. This approach is necessary because cross-account S3 Glue access requires a trust relationship where the bucket policy explicitly authorizes the external principal, and the Glue job assumes a role that carries the read permissions, avoiding the need for VPC peering or cross-account crawlers. On the AWS Certified Machine Learning Specialty MLS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of IAM role delegation and resource-based policies, often appearing as a distractor-heavy question where VPC peering or same-account roles are tempting but incorrect. A common trap is assuming a Glue crawler can bridge accounts, but it cannot—only the bucket policy and assumed role combination works. Memory tip: think "bucket policy says yes, role says can read"—two separate doors that must both open.
MLS-C01 Data Engineering Practice Question
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.
Which TWO steps are required to set up cross-account access to an Amazon S3 data lake for AWS Glue jobs running in a different AWS account? (Choose two.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Add a bucket policy to the S3 bucket that grants access to the Glue service role from the other account.
To allow cross-account access, the S3 bucket policy must grant access to the Glue service role from the other account, and the Glue job must assume a role that has permissions to access the bucket. Option A (bucket policy) and Option D (IAM role in the second account) are correct. Option B (VPC peering) is not required for S3 access. Option C (cross-account Glue crawler) is not needed. Option E (same account) defeats cross-account.
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.
✓
Add a bucket policy to the S3 bucket that grants access to the Glue service role from the other account.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Create an IAM role in the second account that the Glue job can assume, with permissions to read from the S3 bucket.
Why this is correct
Correct: The Glue job needs a role with cross-account access.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Create a cross-account Glue crawler in the source account.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Crawlers run in the account where the data is located.
✗
Set up VPC peering between the two accounts' VPCs.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: VPC peering is not needed for S3 access.
✗
Ensure both accounts are in the same AWS organization.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Organization is not required for cross-account access.
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 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.
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: Add a bucket policy to the S3 bucket that grants access to the Glue service role from the other account. — To allow cross-account access, the S3 bucket policy must grant access to the Glue service role from the other account, and the Glue job must assume a role that has permissions to access the bucket. Option A (bucket policy) and Option D (IAM role in the second account) are correct. Option B (VPC peering) is not required for S3 access. Option C (cross-account Glue crawler) is not needed. Option E (same account) defeats cross-account.
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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