This MLA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of mla-c01 exam topics. 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.
Exhibit
[2024-01-15 10:30:45] Training job 'my-training-job' started.
[2024-01-15 10:31:10] Using algorithm 'built-in' with hyperparameters: {'epochs': 10, 'batch-size': 32, 'learning-rate': 0.001}
[2024-01-15 10:31:15] File system creation failed: No usable scratch space. Error: Input/output error.
[2024-01-15 10:31:15] Retrying with local SSD...
[2024-01-15 10:31:20] Training completed with status 'Failed'.
Refer to the exhibit. The training job failed. 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.
Exhibit
[2024-01-15 10:30:45] Training job 'my-training-job' started.
[2024-01-15 10:31:10] Using algorithm 'built-in' with hyperparameters: {'epochs': 10, 'batch-size': 32, 'learning-rate': 0.001}
[2024-01-15 10:31:15] File system creation failed: No usable scratch space. Error: Input/output error.
[2024-01-15 10:31:15] Retrying with local SSD...
[2024-01-15 10:31:20] Training completed with status 'Failed'.
A
The learning rate is too high
Why wrong: Learning rate would not cause a file system error.
B
The instance type does not have SSD storage
Why wrong: The log says 'Retrying with local SSD...', implying the instance may have SSD, but it still failed.
C
The instance type does not have enough memory
Why wrong: Memory issues would typically cause out-of-memory errors, not scratch space errors.
D
The training data size exceeds the available EBS volume size
The error 'No usable scratch space' indicates disk space exhaustion on the EBS volume.
E
The number of epochs is too low
Why wrong: Epoch number would not cause a scratch space error.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The training data size exceeds the available EBS volume size
Option D is correct because the error message in the exhibit indicates an 'OSError: [Errno 28] No space left on device' during the training job. This occurs when the training data size exceeds the available EBS volume size attached to the SageMaker training instance. SageMaker uses EBS volumes for storing training data and intermediate outputs; if the dataset is larger than the provisioned EBS storage, the job fails with this specific disk-full error.
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 learning rate is too high
Why it's wrong here
Learning rate would not cause a file system error.
✗
The instance type does not have SSD storage
Why it's wrong here
The log says 'Retrying with local SSD...', implying the instance may have SSD, but it still failed.
✗
The instance type does not have enough memory
Why it's wrong here
Memory issues would typically cause out-of-memory errors, not scratch space errors.
✓
The training data size exceeds the available EBS volume size
Why this is correct
The error 'No usable scratch space' indicates disk space exhaustion on the EBS volume.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The number of epochs is too low
Why it's wrong here
Epoch number would not cause a scratch space error.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse disk space errors with memory errors (Option C) or incorrectly attribute the failure to hyperparameters (Option A or E), when the specific 'No space left on device' error directly points to insufficient EBS volume size.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
SageMaker training instances provision EBS volumes (e.g., 125 GB for ml.m5.large) for the training container. When the dataset plus intermediate artifacts (checkpoints, model artifacts) exceed this volume, the OS raises errno 28. This is distinct from S3 storage limits; SageMaker downloads data from S3 to the local EBS volume during training. In real-world scenarios, large datasets (e.g., >100 GB for image or video data) often hit this limit, requiring either a larger instance type with more EBS storage or using Pipe mode to stream data directly from S3 without local storage.
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.
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.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The training data size exceeds the available EBS volume size — Option D is correct because the error message in the exhibit indicates an 'OSError: [Errno 28] No space left on device' during the training job. This occurs when the training data size exceeds the available EBS volume size attached to the SageMaker training instance. SageMaker uses EBS volumes for storing training data and intermediate outputs; if the dataset is larger than the provisioned EBS storage, the job fails with this specific disk-full error.
What should I do if I get this MLA-C01 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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