This ANS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of network design. 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 designing a network for a critical application that requires low-latency communication between EC2 instances in the same AWS Region. They want to maximize network throughput and minimize latency. Which TWO design choices should they make? (Choose two.)
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Enable enhanced networking (ENA) on the EC2 instances.
Option B is correct because enabling Enhanced Networking (ENA) on EC2 instances provides higher bandwidth, higher packet-per-second (PPS) performance, and consistently lower inter-instance latencies by using a modern network interface driver that offloads network processing to dedicated hardware. This is essential for critical applications requiring maximum throughput and minimal latency within the same AWS Region.
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.
✗
Attach an internet gateway to the VPC and route traffic through it.
Why it's wrong here
Internet gateways are for internet access, not for internal communication, and add latency.
✓
Enable enhanced networking (ENA) on the EC2 instances.
Why this is correct
Enhanced networking provides higher bandwidth and lower latency.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use a VPN connection to route traffic between instances.
Why it's wrong here
VPN connections add encryption overhead and latency.
✗
Use a spread placement group for the EC2 instances.
Why it's wrong here
Spread placement groups are designed to reduce the risk of simultaneous failures, not to optimize network performance.
✓
Place the EC2 instances in a cluster placement group.
Why this is correct
Cluster placement groups provide low-latency, high-throughput network performance between instances.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
AWS often tests the misconception that spread placement groups improve network performance, when in fact they are designed for high availability and fault tolerance, not low latency or high throughput.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Enhanced Networking with ENA uses a network interface that supports up to 100 Gbps for certain instance types and leverages SR-IOV (Single Root I/O Virtualization) to bypass the hypervisor's software switch, providing direct access to the physical NIC. Cluster placement groups, when combined with ENA, place instances in a single Availability Zone within a low-latency, high-bandwidth logical group, often achieving sub-millisecond latencies and up to 10 Gbps of traffic between instances. This combination is commonly used for tightly coupled workloads like HPC clusters, financial trading platforms, or real-time data analytics.
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 healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
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.
Network Design — This question tests Network Design — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable enhanced networking (ENA) on the EC2 instances. — Option B is correct because enabling Enhanced Networking (ENA) on EC2 instances provides higher bandwidth, higher packet-per-second (PPS) performance, and consistently lower inter-instance latencies by using a modern network interface driver that offloads network processing to dedicated hardware. This is essential for critical applications requiring maximum throughput and minimal latency within the same AWS Region.
What should I do if I get this ANS-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: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
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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