The correct answer is to delete unattached EBS volumes and apply snapshot lifecycle policies to expire obsolete snapshots. This combination directly reduces EBS storage cost by eliminating charges for volumes that are not connected to any running instance, while snapshot lifecycle policies—such as those managed by Amazon Data Lifecycle Manager—automate the removal of stale snapshots, preventing unnecessary storage accumulation without impacting active workloads. On the SAA-C03 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of cost optimization under the “Design Cost-Optimized Architectures” domain, often appearing as a two-answer question where one trap is to suggest moving snapshots to S3 Glacier (which is not a native EBS lifecycle action) or deleting snapshots manually. A common memory tip: think “orphan volumes and aging snapshots” as silent cost drivers—automate their cleanup with DLM policies to keep your bill lean and your instances untouched.
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. 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 log archive 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.
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 deleting unattached EBS volumes eliminates storage costs for volumes that are not in use, and since they are not attached to any running instance, this action does not affect running instances. Option D is correct because applying snapshot lifecycle policies (e.g., using Amazon Data Lifecycle Manager) automates the expiration of obsolete snapshots, reducing storage costs without impacting running instances. Both actions are managed AWS-native controls, aligning with the architecture review board's preference.
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.
✗
Stop all EC2 instances in the account
Why it's wrong here
Stopping instances does not remove EBS volume or snapshot charges.
✗
Disable CloudTrail logging
Why it's wrong here
Disabling audit logging is not a storage cost optimization for EBS and weakens governance.
✓
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
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Apply snapshot lifecycle policies to expire obsolete snapshots
Why this is correct
Lifecycle policies can automate cleanup of old snapshots.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse stopping instances (which does not delete volumes) with deleting unattached volumes, or they may think disabling CloudTrail reduces storage costs, but CloudTrail logs are stored in S3 and are unrelated to EBS volume or snapshot storage charges.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Unattached EBS volumes incur per-GB-month charges even when not in use, and stale snapshots (especially those referencing deleted volumes) continue to accrue costs for the data blocks they store. Amazon Data Lifecycle Manager (DLM) can automate snapshot retention policies, such as expiring snapshots older than a specified number of days, using tags to target specific resources. In a real-world scenario, an organization might have hundreds of unattached gp3 volumes from terminated instances, each costing ~$0.08/GB-month, and thousands of incremental snapshots that could be pruned to reduce costs by over 50% without any downtime.
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 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.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Design Cost-Optimized Architectures — This question tests Design Cost-Optimized Architectures — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
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 deleting unattached EBS volumes eliminates storage costs for volumes that are not in use, and since they are not attached to any running instance, this action does not affect running instances. Option D is correct because applying snapshot lifecycle policies (e.g., using Amazon Data Lifecycle Manager) automates the expiration of obsolete snapshots, reducing storage costs without impacting running instances. Both actions are managed AWS-native controls, aligning with the architecture review board's preference.
What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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 log archive 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.Stop all EC2 instances in the account
B.Disable CloudTrail logging
✓ 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 eliminates storage costs for volumes that are not in use, and since they are not attached to any running instance, this action does not affect running instances. Option D is correct because applying snapshot lifecycle policies automates the deletion of obsolete snapshots, reducing storage costs without requiring custom scripts or impacting running instances.
Variation 2. A log archive has old unattached EBS volumes and many stale snapshots. Which two actions reduce storage cost without affecting running instances?
hard
A.Stop all EC2 instances in the account
B.Disable CloudTrail logging
✓ C.Delete unattached EBS volumes after verifying they are no longer needed
✓ D.Apply snapshot lifecycle policies to expire obsolete snapshots
Why C: Unattached EBS volumes incur storage costs even when not in use, as EBS pricing is based on provisioned capacity per GB-month. Deleting them after verifying they are no longer needed eliminates this cost without affecting running instances, since attached volumes are untouched. This directly addresses the question's requirement to reduce storage costs without impacting running workloads.
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
Question Discussion
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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.
Question Discussion
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