The most likely cause is that the EC2 instance is using a public IP address to access S3, which does not match the aws:SourceIp condition in the IAM policy. When an EC2 instance assumes an IAM role and attempts to download objects from S3, the source IP seen by the S3 service is the instance’s public IP address unless traffic is routed through a VPC endpoint. Since the policy restricts access to the private 10.0.0.0/8 range, the public IP fails the condition, resulting in an access denied error. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how aws:SourceIp behaves differently with public versus private connectivity—a common trap is assuming EC2 instances always use their private IP for AWS service calls. Remember: for S3 access without a VPC endpoint, the source IP is the instance’s public NAT address, not its private IP. Memory tip: “Public IP, public fail—private path, policy pass.”
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.
An IAM policy is attached to an IAM role that is assumed by an EC2 instance. The EC2 instance has an IP address of 10.0.1.15. The instance is unable to download objects from the S3 bucket 'example-bucket'. What 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.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The EC2 instance is using a public IP address to access S3, which does not match the 'aws:SourceIp' condition.
The condition restricts access to IP addresses in the 10.0.0.0/8 range. However, EC2 instances use public IPs when accessing S3, or private IPs via a VPC endpoint. If the instance uses a public IP, the condition fails. Option B (instance profile) is not an issue. Option C (permissions boundary) is not shown. Option D (bucket policy) is not shown.
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 S3 bucket policy denies access to the IAM role.
Why it's wrong here
No bucket policy is shown; the issue is in the IAM policy.
✗
The IAM role is not attached to the EC2 instance profile.
Why it's wrong here
The exhibit shows the role has the policy; the issue is likely the condition.
✗
The policy lacks permissions for s3:ListBucket.
Why it's wrong here
The action is s3:GetObject, which is sufficient for downloading objects.
✓
The EC2 instance is using a public IP address to access S3, which does not match the 'aws:SourceIp' condition.
Why this is correct
The condition requires the source IP to be in the private range, but S3 access from EC2 uses public IPs unless using a VPC endpoint.
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.
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
No bucket policy is shown; the issue is in the IAM policy.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
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 EC2 instance is using a public IP address to access S3, which does not match the 'aws:SourceIp' condition. — The condition restricts access to IP addresses in the 10.0.0.0/8 range. However, EC2 instances use public IPs when accessing S3, or private IPs via a VPC endpoint. If the instance uses a public IP, the condition fails. Option B (instance profile) is not an issue. Option C (permissions boundary) is not shown. Option D (bucket policy) is not shown.
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.
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. An IAM policy is attached to an IAM user. The user is testing from an IP address 10.0.1.5. What is the effect of the policy?
hard
A.Allow all actions on the bucket
✓ B.Allow PutObject in uploads/ only
C.Allow GetObject because the second statement overrides
D.Deny all actions because of IP mismatch
Why B: Option B is correct because the first statement denies access due to IP condition, the second statement allows PutObject in uploads without IP restriction. So the user can upload to uploads/ but cannot get objects. Option A is wrong because the IP condition blocks GetObject. Option C is wrong because the second statement allows uploads. Option D is wrong because the second statement is valid.
Variation 2. Refer to the exhibit. A company has an S3 bucket policy that allows GetObject access from two IP ranges (10.0.0.0/16 and 192.168.0.0/16). The policy also denies all S3 actions on the 'confidential/' prefix unless the request comes from the 10.0.0.0/16 range. Which of the following statements is true?
hard
A.Users from 192.168.0.0/16 can access objects in the confidential/ prefix.
✓ B.Users from 10.0.0.0/16 can access objects in the confidential/ prefix, but users from 192.168.0.0/16 cannot.
C.Users from 10.0.0.0/16 cannot access objects in the confidential/ prefix.
D.The policy has no effect because the Allow and Deny statements cancel each other.
Why B: The S3 bucket policy includes an explicit Deny statement that blocks all S3 actions on the 'confidential/' prefix unless the request originates from the 10.0.0.0/16 IP range. Since explicit Deny statements override any Allow statements in AWS IAM policy evaluation, users from 192.168.0.0/16 are denied access to the 'confidential/' prefix even though the GetObject Allow statement includes that range. Only users from 10.0.0.0/16 satisfy the condition in the Deny statement and can therefore access objects in the 'confidential/' prefix.
Variation 3. Refer to the exhibit. A company has an IAM policy that allows s3:GetObject on all objects in 'my-bucket' but denies access to objects in the 'confidential' folder. A user tries to access 's3://my-bucket/confidential/report.pdf'. What will happen?
medium
✓ A.Access is denied because the Deny statement explicitly matches the resource.
B.Access is allowed because the Deny statement is not evaluated.
C.Access is denied only if the user is not authorized by other policies.
D.Access is allowed because the Allow statement is broader.
Why A: Option B is correct because an explicit Deny overrides any Allow. The user will be denied access. Option A is wrong because the Deny takes precedence. Option C is wrong because the Deny is explicit. Option D is wrong because the policy applies to the user.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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