SAP-C02 Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of continuous improvement for existing solutions. 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 company runs a web application on EC2 instances behind an ALB. The application uses an Amazon Aurora MySQL database. The operations team notices that the database CPU utilization is consistently above 80% during business hours. The team needs to reduce database load without changing the application code. Which TWO actions should the team take? (Select TWO.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create an Aurora read replica and direct read queries to it.
Option A is correct because implementing an ElastiCache caching layer can reduce repeat database queries. Option D is correct because creating an Aurora read replica and directing read traffic to it offloads the primary instance. Option B is wrong because increasing the DB instance class may help but is not a best practice for immediate load reduction. Option C is wrong because increasing Auto Scaling group size does not affect database load. Option E is wrong because enabling Performance Insights is for monitoring, not load reduction.
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.
✓
Create an Aurora read replica and direct read queries to it.
Why this is correct
Read replicas offload read traffic from the primary instance.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Increase the DB instance class to a larger size.
Why it's wrong here
Scaling up is reactive and may incur cost without solving the root cause.
✓
Implement an ElastiCache for Redis caching layer to cache frequent queries.
Why this is correct
Caching reduces database read load.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Enable Amazon RDS Performance Insights to identify slow queries.
Why it's wrong here
Performance Insights helps identify issues but does not reduce load.
✗
Increase the Auto Scaling group maximum size to handle more traffic.
Why it's wrong here
More web servers increase database load, not decrease.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which SAP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — This question tests Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create an Aurora read replica and direct read queries to it. — Option A is correct because implementing an ElastiCache caching layer can reduce repeat database queries. Option D is correct because creating an Aurora read replica and directing read traffic to it offloads the primary instance. Option B is wrong because increasing the DB instance class may help but is not a best practice for immediate load reduction. Option C is wrong because increasing Auto Scaling group size does not affect database load. Option E is wrong because enabling Performance Insights is for monitoring, not load reduction.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Identify which SAP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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