- 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.
SAP-C02 Practice Question: Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of accelerate workload migration and modernization. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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.
The most likely cause is that the web tier is configured to connect directly to the application tier instances rather than to the application tier's load balancer. In Elastic Beanstalk, each environment typically includes an Auto Scaling group and a load balancer. For the web tier to communicate with the application tier, it should connect to the application tier's load balancer DNS name. If the web tier attempts to connect directly to the application tier instances, the application tier's security group must allow inbound traffic from the web tier's security group. If that rule is missing or misconfigured, connections will time out. Option A is incorrect because DNS resolution for an internal ALB generally works within the same VPC. Option B is incorrect because both environments are in the same Availability Zone. Option D is incorrect because health check misconfiguration would affect the load balancer's routing, not cause direct connection timeouts between tiers.
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.
Visual reference
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. — The most likely cause is that the web tier is configured to connect directly to the application tier instances rather than to the application tier's load balancer. In Elastic Beanstalk, each environment typically includes an Auto Scaling group and a load balancer. For the web tier to communicate with the application tier, it should connect to the application tier's load balancer DNS name. If the web tier attempts to connect directly to the application tier instances, the application tier's security group must allow inbound traffic from the web tier's security group. If that rule is missing or misconfigured, connections will time out. Option A is incorrect because DNS resolution for an internal ALB generally works within the same VPC. Option B is incorrect because both environments are in the same Availability Zone. Option D is incorrect because health check misconfiguration would affect the load balancer's routing, not cause direct connection timeouts between tiers.
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
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