SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
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.
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
Status: ROLLBACK_COMPLETE
Resource Status:
- Logical ID: MyEC2Instance
Physical ID: i-1234567890abcdef0
Status: CREATE_COMPLETE
- Logical ID: MySecurityGroup
Physical ID: sg-12345678
Status: CREATE_COMPLETE
- Logical ID: MyEIP
Physical ID: eipalloc-12345678
Status: CREATE_FAILED
Reason: The maximum number of addresses has been reached.
A CloudFormation stack creation failed with the status shown in the exhibit. The stack was created using a template that defines an EC2 instance, a security group, and an Elastic IP address. What is the MOST likely cause of the failure?
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.
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
Status: ROLLBACK_COMPLETE
Resource Status:
- Logical ID: MyEC2Instance
Physical ID: i-1234567890abcdef0
Status: CREATE_COMPLETE
- Logical ID: MySecurityGroup
Physical ID: sg-12345678
Status: CREATE_COMPLETE
- Logical ID: MyEIP
Physical ID: eipalloc-12345678
Status: CREATE_FAILED
Reason: The maximum number of addresses has been reached.
A
The AWS account has reached the Elastic IP address limit.
The error message explicitly states the maximum number of addresses has been reached.
B
The security group rule is invalid.
Why wrong: The security group was created successfully.
C
The EC2 instance failed to associate with the Elastic IP.
Why wrong: The EIP itself failed to be created.
D
The EC2 instance type is not supported in the region.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The AWS account has reached the Elastic IP address limit.
The stack creation failed with a status that indicates a resource creation failure, and the most likely cause is that the AWS account has reached its Elastic IP address limit. Each AWS account has a default limit of 5 Elastic IP addresses per region, and attempting to create a new Elastic IP beyond this quota causes the CloudFormation stack to roll back. The error message in the exhibit (not shown here but implied) typically states 'The maximum number of addresses has been reached' or similar, confirming this as the root cause.
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 AWS account has reached the Elastic IP address limit.
Why this is correct
The error message explicitly states the maximum number of addresses has been reached.
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 security group rule is invalid.
Why it's wrong here
The security group was created successfully.
✗
The EC2 instance failed to associate with the Elastic IP.
Why it's wrong here
The EIP itself failed to be created.
✗
The EC2 instance type is not supported in the region.
Why it's wrong here
The instance was created successfully.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume the failure is due to an invalid security group rule or instance type, but the exhibit's error message (e.g., 'Resource creation cancelled' or 'API: ec2:AllocateAddress') specifically points to a quota limit on Elastic IPs, not a configuration or association issue.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Elastic IP addresses are a regional resource with a soft limit of 5 per region by default, which can be increased via a service quota request. CloudFormation creates resources in a specific order based on dependencies; the Elastic IP is typically created independently of the EC2 instance, so a quota error would surface during the Elastic IP creation phase. In real-world scenarios, this is a common issue when deploying multiple stacks or reusing templates in accounts with existing Elastic IPs, as the limit applies across all stacks in the region.
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.
TExam Day Tips
→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 exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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 AWS account has reached the Elastic IP address limit. — The stack creation failed with a status that indicates a resource creation failure, and the most likely cause is that the AWS account has reached its Elastic IP address limit. Each AWS account has a default limit of 5 Elastic IP addresses per region, and attempting to create a new Elastic IP beyond this quota causes the CloudFormation stack to roll back. The error message in the exhibit (not shown here but implied) typically states 'The maximum number of addresses has been reached' or similar, confirming this as the root cause.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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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