SAA-C03 Design Resilient Architectures Practice Question
Exhibit
{
"Version": "2012-10-17",
"Statement": [
{
"Effect": "Allow",
"Action": ["s3:PutObject"],
"Resource": "arn:aws:s3:::production-data-bucket/*"
}
]
}Refer to the exhibit. An application needs to store highly durable data in S3. The architect wants to ensure data is protected against accidental deletion while maintaining cost-effective storage. What should be done?
⚠ Common exam trap
SAA-C03 often tests the misconception that Cross-Region Replication protects against accidental deletion, when in fact replication propagates deletions — Versioning is the correct control for recoverability.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Enable S3 Versioning on the bucket and use Lifecycle policies to manage older versions.
S3 Versioning preserves every prior version of an object, so an accidental overwrite or delete does not destroy the underlying data — the previous version remains retrievable. Pairing Versioning with Lifecycle policies lets you transition or expire noncurrent versions after a set number of days, which controls the cost of retaining all those versions. Together they deliver durability against accidental deletion while keeping storage spend predictable.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Enable S3 Versioning on the bucket and use Lifecycle policies to manage older versions.
Why this is correct
S3 Versioning keeps multiple variants of an object in the same bucket, providing protection against accidental deletion. Lifecycle policies automatically handle the transition of older versions to S3 Glacier or perform expirations, ensuring that storage costs remain optimized while maintaining high data durability and recovery capabilities for the bucket.
- ✗
Enable S3 Cross-Region Replication for all objects.
Why it's wrong here
Cross-Region Replication provides disaster recovery across regions but does not inherently protect against accidental deletions within the source bucket. If an object is deleted in the source, the delete marker is replicated to the destination. Versioning is required to truly protect against accidental deletions in S3.
- ✗
Modify the IAM policy to include s3:DeleteObject in the Deny statement.
Why it's wrong here
Applying a broad Deny on delete operations makes it impossible to manage data lifecycles or clean up temporary files. This is not a scalable way to protect against accidental deletions. Robust protection should rely on S3 bucket features like Versioning and MFA Delete rather than restrictive IAM policies alone.
- ✗
Use S3 Intelligent-Tiering for all objects to reduce storage costs.
Why it's wrong here
S3 Intelligent-Tiering is a cost-optimization feature that moves objects between access tiers based on usage patterns. While it reduces costs, it does not provide protection against accidental deletion. Resilience and data protection must be addressed through features like Versioning, independent of the storage tiering strategy implemented for cost.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every SAA-C03 question from scratch — 149 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Amazon Web Services exam blueprint
This SAA-C03 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 SAA-C03 exam.