SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.
Network Topology
Refer to the exhibit. An architect is troubleshooting an EC2 instance that is not responding to health checks from an Application Load Balancer. The instance is in the 'running' state. Which of the following is the most likely cause?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Network Topology
A
The security group is blocking the health check traffic.
A misconfigured security group can block health checks even if the instance is running.
B
The instance is in a stopped state.
Why wrong: The output shows the instance is running, not stopped.
C
The instance is impaired due to an AWS issue.
Why wrong: Instance status checks would show impairment, but the output shows running state.
D
The instance has exhausted its CPU credits.
Why wrong: CPU credits affect performance but do not cause health check failures; the instance would still respond.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The security group is blocking the health check traffic.
Option A is correct because the most likely cause for a running EC2 instance not responding to ALB health checks is that the security group associated with the instance is not allowing incoming health check traffic from the ALB. Option B is incorrect because the instance is in the 'running' state, not stopped. Option C is incorrect because if the instance were impaired due to an AWS issue, its status checks would fail, but the instance is running. Option D is incorrect because CPU credits affect performance but do not prevent the instance from responding to health checks; the instance would still respond even with low CPU credits.
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.
✓
The security group is blocking the health check traffic.
Why this is correct
A misconfigured security group can block health checks even if the instance is running.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The instance is in a stopped state.
Why it's wrong here
The output shows the instance is running, not stopped.
✗
The instance is impaired due to an AWS issue.
Why it's wrong here
Instance status checks would show impairment, but the output shows running state.
✗
The instance has exhausted its CPU credits.
Why it's wrong here
CPU credits affect performance but do not cause health check failures; the instance would still respond.
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.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
The output shows the instance is running, not stopped.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
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.
Design for New Solutions — This question tests Design for New Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The security group is blocking the health check traffic. — Option A is correct because the most likely cause for a running EC2 instance not responding to ALB health checks is that the security group associated with the instance is not allowing incoming health check traffic from the ALB. Option B is incorrect because the instance is in the 'running' state, not stopped. Option C is incorrect because if the instance were impaired due to an AWS issue, its status checks would fail, but the instance is running. Option D is incorrect because CPU credits affect performance but do not prevent the instance from responding to health checks; the instance would still respond even with low CPU credits.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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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