This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 solutions architect runs the above CLI command. What is the output format?
YAML formatted output.
Why wrong: Default output is JSON unless --output yaml is specified.
A text table with columns.
Why wrong: Table output is not requested.
A JSON array of strings.
The query returns a list of three values in JSON array format.
A JSON object with keys.
Why wrong: The query returns an array, not an object.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
A JSON array of strings.
The CLI command shown is `aws ec2 describe-instances --query 'Reservations[].Instances[].InstanceId'`. The `--query` parameter uses JMESPath to extract a list of instance IDs, which results in a JSON array of strings (e.g., `["i-123", "i-456"]`). AWS CLI output defaults to JSON unless `--output` is specified, and the JMESPath expression here returns an array, not a single object or table.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
YAML formatted output.
Why it's wrong here
Default output is JSON unless --output yaml is specified.
A text table with columns.
Why it's wrong here
Table output is not requested.
A JSON array of strings.
Why this is correct
The query returns a list of three values in JSON array format.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
A JSON object with keys.
Why it's wrong here
The query returns an array, not an object.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates may confuse the `--query` output structure with the default JSON output format, assuming it always returns a JSON object with keys, when in fact JMESPath projections can return arrays of scalars or objects depending on the expression.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
Default output is JSON unless --output yaml is specified.
Detailed technical explanation
The AWS CLI `--query` parameter uses JMESPath, a query language for JSON. The expression `Reservations[].Instances[].InstanceId` flattens nested arrays and extracts only the `InstanceId` field, producing a list of strings. This is a common pattern for retrieving a simple list of resource identifiers without additional metadata. In real-world automation, this output can be piped directly to tools like `jq` or used in shell scripts to iterate over resource IDs.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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FAQ
Design for New Solutions — This question tests Design for New Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: A JSON array of strings. — The CLI command shown is `aws ec2 describe-instances --query 'Reservations[].Instances[].InstanceId'`. The `--query` parameter uses JMESPath to extract a list of instance IDs, which results in a JSON array of strings (e.g., `["i-123", "i-456"]`). AWS CLI output defaults to JSON unless `--output` is specified, and the JMESPath expression here returns an array, not a single object or table.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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