The answer is to delete unattached EBS volumes and apply snapshot lifecycle policies to expire obsolete snapshots. Unattached volumes and stale snapshots both incur storage costs without supporting any active EC2 instances, so removing them directly reduces your EBS storage cost without affecting running instances. On the SAA-C03 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of cost optimization through lifecycle management and resource cleanup, often appearing as a distractor where candidates mistakenly keep snapshots for compliance or fail to verify volume necessity. A common trap is assuming snapshots must be retained indefinitely, but lifecycle policies automate deletion based on age, while unattached volumes can be safely removed after confirming no future use. Memory tip: “Detach and delete, snapshot lifecycle for the win” — if it’s not attached or current, it’s costing you.
SAA-C03 Design Cost-Optimized Architectures Practice Question
This SAA-C03 practice question tests your understanding of design cost-optimized architectures. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. A key principle to apply: eBS volumes incur charges even when unattached to an EC2 instance.. 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 internal reporting portal has old unattached EBS volumes and many stale snapshots. Which two actions reduce storage cost without affecting running instances?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Delete unattached EBS volumes after verifying they are no longer needed
Option C is correct because unattached EBS volumes incur storage costs without providing any benefit to running instances. Deleting them after verifying they are no longer needed directly reduces these costs without affecting any active EC2 instances.
Key principle: EBS volumes incur charges even when unattached to an EC2 instance.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Disable CloudTrail logging
Why it's wrong here
Disabling audit logging is not a storage cost optimization for EBS and weakens governance.
✗
Stop all EC2 instances in the account
Why it's wrong here
Stopping instances does not remove EBS volume or snapshot charges.
✓
Delete unattached EBS volumes after verifying they are no longer needed
Why this is correct
Unattached volumes continue to incur charges until deleted.
Related concept
EBS volumes incur charges even when unattached to an EC2 instance.
✓
Apply snapshot lifecycle policies to expire obsolete snapshots
Why this is correct
Lifecycle policies can automate cleanup of old snapshots.
Related concept
EBS volumes incur charges even when unattached to an EC2 instance.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse stopping EC2 instances with reducing EBS costs, but stopping instances does not delete the underlying volumes or snapshots, so storage charges continue.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
EBS snapshots are stored incrementally in Amazon S3, but deleting a snapshot only removes the data unique to that snapshot; if a snapshot is a parent of later snapshots, deleting it may not free up space until all dependent snapshots are also deleted. Snapshot lifecycle policies (DLM) automate the expiration of obsolete snapshots based on age or count, ensuring that only necessary snapshots are retained and reducing storage costs over time.
KKey Concepts to Remember
EBS volumes incur charges even when unattached to an EC2 instance.
EBS snapshots are stored in S3 and incur charges based on data stored.
Deleting unattached EBS volumes is a direct way to reduce storage costs.
Snapshot Lifecycle Policies automate the deletion of obsolete snapshots.
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
EBS volumes incur charges even when unattached to an EC2 instance.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review eBS volumes incur charges even when unattached to an EC2 instance., then practise related SAA-C03 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
Design Cost-Optimized Architectures — This question tests Design Cost-Optimized Architectures — EBS volumes incur charges even when unattached to an EC2 instance..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Delete unattached EBS volumes after verifying they are no longer needed — Option C is correct because unattached EBS volumes incur storage costs without providing any benefit to running instances. Deleting them after verifying they are no longer needed directly reduces these costs without affecting any active EC2 instances.
What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 question wrong?
Review eBS volumes incur charges even when unattached to an EC2 instance., then practise related SAA-C03 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
What is the key concept behind this question?
EBS volumes incur charges even when unattached to an EC2 instance.
About these practice questions
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These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A internal reporting portal has old unattached EBS volumes and many stale snapshots. Which two actions reduce storage cost without affecting running instances? The design must avoid adding custom operational scripts.
hard
A.Disable CloudTrail logging
B.Stop all EC2 instances in the account
✓ C.Delete unattached EBS volumes after verifying they are no longer needed
✓ D.Apply snapshot lifecycle policies to expire obsolete snapshots
Why C: Option C is correct because deleting unattached EBS volumes directly reduces storage costs without impacting running instances, as these volumes are not in use. Option D is correct because snapshot lifecycle policies automate the deletion of obsolete snapshots, eliminating manual cleanup and reducing storage costs without custom scripts.
Variation 2. A internal reporting portal has old unattached EBS volumes and many stale snapshots. Which two actions reduce storage cost without affecting running instances? The architecture review board prefers a managed AWS-native control.
hard
A.Disable CloudTrail logging
B.Stop all EC2 instances in the account
✓ C.Delete unattached EBS volumes after verifying they are no longer needed
✓ D.Apply snapshot lifecycle policies to expire obsolete snapshots
Why C: Option C is correct because unattached EBS volumes incur storage costs without providing any benefit to running instances. Deleting them after verification directly reduces costs while having zero impact on running workloads. Option D is correct because snapshot lifecycle policies automate the deletion of obsolete snapshots based on age or count, eliminating manual cleanup and reducing storage costs without affecting running instances.
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Question Discussion
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