This ANS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of network design. 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.
A Network Engineer is troubleshooting a cross-account VPC endpoint connection. The service provider account (123456789012) has the above IAM policy attached to the endpoint service. The consumer account (111111111111) has created a VPC endpoint (vpce-abc123) and is trying to accept the connection. The consumer receives an 'AccessDenied' error when calling ec2:AcceptVpcEndpointConnections. 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.
The policy action should be 'ec2:CreateVpcEndpoint' instead.
Why wrong: CreateVpcEndpoint is for creating endpoints, not accepting connections.
B
The policy condition 'aws:SourceArn' does not match the consumer's endpoint ARN.
Why wrong: The condition matches the consumer's endpoint, but the issue is not about matching.
C
The policy resource ARN is incorrect; it should be the endpoint service ARN.
Why wrong: The resource is for the VPC endpoint, but the action is performed by the provider, so the resource should be the endpoint service? Actually, the action AcceptVpcEndpointConnections is on the endpoint service, not the endpoint. The resource should be the endpoint service. However, the error is likely due to permissions, not resource. But the most direct cause is that the consumer cannot accept; the provider must accept.
D
The consumer account does not have permission to accept the connection; only the service provider can accept.
The AcceptVpcEndpointConnections API is called by the service provider, not the consumer. The consumer must wait for the provider to accept.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The consumer account does not have permission to accept the connection; only the service provider can accept.
The 'AccessDenied' error occurs because the consumer account (111111111111) is attempting to call ec2:AcceptVpcEndpointConnections, which is an API action that only the service provider account (123456789012) can perform. The IAM policy shown is attached to the endpoint service in the provider account, but the consumer does not have permission to accept its own connection; instead, the provider must accept the endpoint connection request. This is a fundamental AWS VPC endpoint service behavior where the provider controls acceptance, not the consumer.
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 policy action should be 'ec2:CreateVpcEndpoint' instead.
Why it's wrong here
CreateVpcEndpoint is for creating endpoints, not accepting connections.
✗
The policy condition 'aws:SourceArn' does not match the consumer's endpoint ARN.
Why it's wrong here
The condition matches the consumer's endpoint, but the issue is not about matching.
✗
The policy resource ARN is incorrect; it should be the endpoint service ARN.
Why it's wrong here
The resource is for the VPC endpoint, but the action is performed by the provider, so the resource should be the endpoint service? Actually, the action AcceptVpcEndpointConnections is on the endpoint service, not the endpoint. The resource should be the endpoint service. However, the error is likely due to permissions, not resource. But the most direct cause is that the consumer cannot accept; the provider must accept.
✓
The consumer account does not have permission to accept the connection; only the service provider can accept.
Why this is correct
The AcceptVpcEndpointConnections API is called by the service provider, not the consumer. The consumer must wait for the provider to accept.
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.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The ANS-C01 exam often tests the misconception that the consumer can accept its own VPC endpoint connection, but in reality, only the service provider account has permission to call AcceptVpcEndpointConnections, regardless of IAM policies attached to the consumer.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In AWS VPC endpoint services (AWS PrivateLink), the service provider owns the Network Load Balancer and the endpoint service, and only the provider can accept or reject connection requests from consumers using the AcceptVpcEndpointConnections API. The consumer's IAM policy must include ec2:AcceptVpcEndpointConnections on the endpoint service resource, but even with that, the consumer cannot accept its own connection because the API is designed to be called by the provider account. This is enforced by AWS IAM and the VPC endpoint service model, where the provider has full control over which consumer endpoints are allowed.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
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: The consumer account does not have permission to accept the connection; only the service provider can accept. — The 'AccessDenied' error occurs because the consumer account (111111111111) is attempting to call ec2:AcceptVpcEndpointConnections, which is an API action that only the service provider account (123456789012) can perform. The IAM policy shown is attached to the endpoint service in the provider account, but the consumer does not have permission to accept its own connection; instead, the provider must accept the endpoint connection request. This is a fundamental AWS VPC endpoint service behavior where the provider controls acceptance, not the consumer.
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: "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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