- A
The application tier is configured with an internal Application Load Balancer, but the web tier is unable to resolve the DNS name of the load balancer.
Why wrong: Elastic Beanstalk provides a DNS name; resolution should work within the same VPC.
- B
The web tier and application tier are in different Availability Zones, causing increased latency and timeouts.
Why wrong: Both tiers are in the same AZ.
- C
The web tier is trying to connect directly to the application tier instances, but the application tier's security group does not allow inbound traffic from the web tier's security group.
The web tier should connect to the application tier's load balancer, but the security group of the load balancer must allow traffic from the web tier.
- D
The Elastic Beanstalk environment's health check URL is misconfigured, causing the instances to be marked as unhealthy and removed from the load balancer.
Why wrong: Health check issues would cause 503s, not intermittent timeouts.
Quick Answer
The answer is that the web tier is trying to connect directly to the application tier instances, but the application tier’s security group does not allow inbound traffic from the web tier’s security group. This is the most likely cause of the connectivity timeouts because Elastic Beanstalk environments are deployed in separate Auto Scaling groups, and security group rules must reference the web tier’s security group ID rather than instance IPs, which can change. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how Elastic Beanstalk security group connectivity works across tiers, especially the common trap of forgetting that the application tier’s load balancer should be the connection target, not the instances themselves. A key memory tip is “SG to SG, not IP to IP”—always reference security groups in inbound rules for dynamic environments like Elastic Beanstalk to avoid intermittent timeouts.
SAP-C02 Practice Question: Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of accelerate workload migration and modernization. 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.
A company is migrating a 3-tier web application from on-premises to AWS. The application consists of a Linux Apache HTTP server, a Java application server (Tomcat), and a MySQL database. The company wants to use AWS managed services to reduce operational overhead. The migration plan includes using AWS Elastic Beanstalk for the web and application tiers, and Amazon RDS for MySQL for the database. During a test migration, the team notices that the application is experiencing intermittent connection timeouts when the web tier attempts to connect to the application tier. The web and application tiers are deployed in separate Elastic Beanstalk environments, both in the same VPC, same region, and same Availability Zone. The security groups allow traffic from the web tier to the application tier on port 8080. What is the MOST likely cause of the connection timeouts?
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 choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
The web tier is trying to connect directly to the application tier instances, but the application tier's security group does not allow inbound traffic from the web tier's security group.
Option B is correct because Elastic Beanstalk environments are deployed in separate Auto Scaling groups, and the security group that allows traffic from the web tier should reference the web tier's security group, not its instance IDs or IP addresses. However, the most common issue is that the application tier's Elastic Beanstalk environment uses a load balancer, and the web tier should connect to the load balancer, not directly to the instances. The load balancer's security group must allow traffic from the web tier. Option A is wrong because both environments are in the same AZ; cross-AZ traffic is not the issue. Option C is not the primary cause; health checks are separate. Option D is wrong because the application tier uses Elastic Beanstalk's integrated load balancer, not a standalone ALB.
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 application tier is configured with an internal Application Load Balancer, but the web tier is unable to resolve the DNS name of the load balancer.
Why it's wrong here
Elastic Beanstalk provides a DNS name; resolution should work within the same VPC.
- ✗
The web tier and application tier are in different Availability Zones, causing increased latency and timeouts.
Why it's wrong here
Both tiers are in the same AZ.
- ✓
The web tier is trying to connect directly to the application tier instances, but the application tier's security group does not allow inbound traffic from the web tier's security group.
Why this is correct
The web tier should connect to the application tier's load balancer, but the security group of the load balancer must allow traffic from the web tier.
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 Elastic Beanstalk environment's health check URL is misconfigured, causing the instances to be marked as unhealthy and removed from the load balancer.
Why it's wrong here
Health check issues would cause 503s, not intermittent timeouts.
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 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.
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Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAP-C02 question test?
Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — This question tests Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The web tier is trying to connect directly to the application tier instances, but the application tier's security group does not allow inbound traffic from the web tier's security group. — Option B is correct because Elastic Beanstalk environments are deployed in separate Auto Scaling groups, and the security group that allows traffic from the web tier should reference the web tier's security group, not its instance IDs or IP addresses. However, the most common issue is that the application tier's Elastic Beanstalk environment uses a load balancer, and the web tier should connect to the load balancer, not directly to the instances. The load balancer's security group must allow traffic from the web tier. Option A is wrong because both environments are in the same AZ; cross-AZ traffic is not the issue. Option C is not the primary cause; health checks are separate. Option D is wrong because the application tier uses Elastic Beanstalk's integrated load balancer, not a standalone ALB.
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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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
This SAP-C02 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the SAP-C02 exam.
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