- A
Disable CloudTrail logging
Why wrong: Disabling audit logging is not a storage cost optimization for EBS and weakens governance.
- B
Stop all EC2 instances in the account
Why wrong: Stopping instances does not remove EBS volume or snapshot charges.
- C
Delete unattached EBS volumes after verifying they are no longer needed
Unattached volumes continue to incur charges until deleted.
- D
Apply snapshot lifecycle policies to expire obsolete snapshots
Lifecycle policies can automate cleanup of old snapshots.
Question 40 of 1,040
SAA-C03 Unattached EBS volumes 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: unattached EBS volumes. 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 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
✓
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: Unattached EBS volumes
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
Unattached EBS volumes
- ✓
Apply snapshot lifecycle policies to expire obsolete snapshots
Why this is correct
Lifecycle policies can automate cleanup of old snapshots.
Related concept
Unattached EBS volumes
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
- Unattached EBS volumes
- Stale EBS snapshots
- Snapshot Lifecycle Policy
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
Unattached EBS volumes
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
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAA-C03 question test?
Design Cost-Optimized Architectures — This question tests Design Cost-Optimized Architectures — Unattached EBS volumes.
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 unattached EBS volumes, then practise related SAA-C03 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Unattached EBS volumes
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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