SAP-C02 Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions Practice Question

Exhibit

Refer to the exhibit.

{
  "AWSTemplateFormatVersion": "2010-09-09",
  "Resources": {
    "EC2Instance": {
      "Type": "AWS::EC2::Instance",
      "Properties": {
        "ImageId": "ami-0abcdef1234567890",
        "InstanceType": "t2.micro"
      }
    },
    "MyQueue": {
      "Type": "AWS::SQS::Queue",
      "Properties": {
        "QueueName": "my-queue"
      }
    }
  }
}

A CloudFormation stack is created using the template above. The stack creation fails with the error: 'The following resource(s) failed to create: [EC2Instance]'. Logs show: 'AMI 'ami-0abcdef1234567890' does not exist.' What is the most likely cause?

⚠ Common exam trap

SAP-C02 often tests the regional nature of AMIs, so candidates who overlook that AMI IDs are region-specific may blame the instance type or queue name instead of the region mismatch.

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

✓

The AMI ID is not available in the region where the stack is being deployed.

The error 'AMI ami-0abcdef1234567890 does not exist' indicates that the specified AMI ID is not available in the AWS region where the CloudFormation stack is being deployed. AMI IDs are region-specific; an AMI that exists in us-east-1 will not exist in eu-west-1 unless it was explicitly copied or is a public AMI available in that region. The most likely cause is a region mismatch between the AMI ID and the stack's deployment region.

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 AMI ID is not available in the region where the stack is being deployed.
Why this is correct
AMI IDs are region-specific, so an identifier valid in one region does not resolve in another. The stem's deployment targets a region lacking that image, producing the "does not exist" failure during EC2Instance creation. Copying the AMI to the target region, or referencing a region-appropriate ID, resolves the constraint.
✗
The SQS queue name 'my-queue' is already in use.
Why it's wrong here
The failure names the EC2Instance resource and an AMI that does not exist; an SQS queue name collision would fail the queue resource instead, with a different error. Queue-name uniqueness matters only when creating a queue, so this option would be correct if the stack error cited the SQS resource.
✗
The AMI ID is invalid because it contains letters.
Why it's wrong here
AMI IDs routinely contain hexadecimal letters, so the presence of letters is normal and not itself invalid. The error is that this particular AMI does not exist in the region, not that its format is malformed. This option would be correct only if the ID violated the ami- plus hex-character pattern.
✗
The instance type t2.micro is not supported in the region.
Why it's wrong here
An unsupported instance type produces an InvalidParameterValue error naming the instance type, not a missing-AMI message. The log explicitly states the AMI does not exist, so the instance type is irrelevant here. This option would be correct if the failure cited the instance type rather than the AMI ID.

Go deeper

SAP-C02 Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions Practice Question

Exhibit

Why each option matters

Option-by-option breakdown

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