- A
Apply an SCP that denies ec2:RunInstances with a condition on ec2:ImageId.
SCP applies to all accounts in the organization.
- B
Use AWS Config to detect non-compliant AMIs and stop the instances.
Why wrong: Reactive and requires per-account setup.
- C
Create a service catalog product for EC2 with allowed AMIs.
Why wrong: Does not prevent direct EC2 launch.
- D
Use AWS Systems Manager to enforce AMI compliance.
Why wrong: Systems Manager can patch but not prevent launch of non-compliant AMIs.
Question 1,598 of 1,746
SAP-C02 Practice Question: Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design solutions for organizational complexity. 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 uses AWS Organizations with 500 accounts. They want to enforce that all accounts use a specific set of allowed AMIs for EC2. What is the MOST scalable solution?
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
✓
Apply an SCP that denies ec2:RunInstances with a condition on ec2:ImageId.
An SCP applied at the root or OU level can deny ec2:RunInstances unless the ec2:ImageId matches a specific set of allowed AMIs. This scales to 500 accounts without per-account configuration, as SCPs are inherited by all accounts in the organization. The condition key ec2:ImageId supports wildcard patterns or a list of AMI IDs, making it a centralized, preventive control.
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.
- ✓
Apply an SCP that denies ec2:RunInstances with a condition on ec2:ImageId.
Why this is correct
SCP applies to all accounts in the organization.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use AWS Config to detect non-compliant AMIs and stop the instances.
Why it's wrong here
Reactive and requires per-account setup.
- ✗
Create a service catalog product for EC2 with allowed AMIs.
Why it's wrong here
Does not prevent direct EC2 launch.
- ✗
Use AWS Systems Manager to enforce AMI compliance.
Why it's wrong here
Systems Manager can patch but not prevent launch of non-compliant AMIs.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse detective controls (AWS Config) with preventive controls (SCPs), assuming detection and remediation are as scalable as prevention, but SCPs block the action before it happens, which is the most scalable and least disruptive approach for 500 accounts.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
SCPs use AWS IAM policy language with the ec2:ImageId condition key, which supports the ArnEquals or StringLike condition operators to match AMI IDs or patterns (e.g., ami-0*). Under the hood, SCPs are evaluated before any IAM permissions, so a deny on ec2:RunInstances with a condition effectively blocks the API call at the organization level, regardless of account-level IAM policies. A real-world scenario is a company that must enforce only FIPS-validated AMIs across all accounts; an SCP with a list of approved AMI IDs ensures no developer can accidentally launch a non-compliant instance.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAP-C02 question test?
Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity — This question tests Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Apply an SCP that denies ec2:RunInstances with a condition on ec2:ImageId. — An SCP applied at the root or OU level can deny ec2:RunInstances unless the ec2:ImageId matches a specific set of allowed AMIs. This scales to 500 accounts without per-account configuration, as SCPs are inherited by all accounts in the organization. The condition key ec2:ImageId supports wildcard patterns or a list of AMI IDs, making it a centralized, preventive control.
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 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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