The answer is to configure the ALB to route traffic to instances in multiple Availability Zones, use an Auto Scaling group spanning multiple AZs, and implement health checks to automatically replace unhealthy instances. This trio ensures high availability across multiple Availability Zones with ALB and Auto Scaling by distributing traffic and compute capacity across isolated failure domains, so if one AZ goes down, the application remains available from the others. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of fault-tolerant architecture patterns—specifically that redundancy across AZs is non-negotiable, while single-AZ deployments or simply scaling up instance sizes do not provide fault tolerance. A common trap is assuming a larger instance type adds resilience, but it only increases vertical capacity, not horizontal redundancy. Memory tip: think “spread, balance, heal”—spread across AZs, balance traffic with the ALB, and heal with Auto Scaling health checks.
SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 designing a new web application that will be deployed on Amazon EC2 instances behind an Application Load Balancer (ALB). The application must be highly available and fault-tolerant across multiple Availability Zones. Which THREE actions should the company take to meet these requirements? (Choose three.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Launch EC2 instances in an Auto Scaling group across multiple Availability Zones.
Options A, D, and E are correct. Using an Auto Scaling group across multiple AZs, an ALB that distributes traffic across AZs, and health checks to replace unhealthy instances ensure high availability and fault tolerance. Option B is wrong because single AZ is not fault-tolerant. Option C is wrong because a larger instance type does not provide fault tolerance.
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.
✓
Launch EC2 instances in an Auto Scaling group across multiple Availability Zones.
Why this is correct
Provides fault tolerance across AZs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use a larger EC2 instance type to handle failures.
Why it's wrong here
Instance size does not provide fault tolerance.
✓
Configure health checks on the ALB target group to automatically replace unhealthy instances.
Why this is correct
Automatically recovers from failures.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Configure the ALB to route traffic to instances in multiple Availability Zones.
Why this is correct
Distributes traffic across AZs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use a single Availability Zone to reduce latency.
Why it's wrong here
Single AZ is not fault-tolerant.
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
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.
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.
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: Launch EC2 instances in an Auto Scaling group across multiple Availability Zones. — Options A, D, and E are correct. Using an Auto Scaling group across multiple AZs, an ALB that distributes traffic across AZs, and health checks to replace unhealthy instances ensure high availability and fault tolerance. Option B is wrong because single AZ is not fault-tolerant. Option C is wrong because a larger instance type does not provide fault tolerance.
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.
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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