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. A key principle to apply: s3 Bucket Policy. 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 has an S3 bucket policy as shown in the exhibit. The bucket 'my-bucket' is owned by account 111111111111. What access does this policy grant to account 123456789012?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Full S3 access to the bucket and objects for all IAM users in account 123456789012.
In AWS S3 bucket policies, specifying the root user ARN `arn:aws:iam::123456789012:root` as the principal grants access to all IAM users and roles in that account, not just the root user. The root user ARN is a shorthand for the entire account. Therefore, the policy grants full S3 access to all IAM users in account 123456789012, making option B correct.
Key principle: S3 Bucket Policy
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Full S3 access to the bucket and objects for the root user of account 123456789012.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. The root user ARN does not grant access only to the root user; it grants access to all IAM users in the account.
✓
Full S3 access to the bucket and objects for all IAM users in account 123456789012.
Why this is correct
Correct. The root user ARN in an S3 bucket policy grants access to all IAM users in the account.
Related concept
S3 Bucket Policy
✗
No access because the root user is not allowed.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. The root user is allowed via the root user ARN, but it also grants access to IAM users.
✗
Read-only access to the bucket.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. The policy grants full S3 access, not read-only.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
A common misconception is that the root user ARN only grants access to the root user. In reality, in resource-based policies like S3 bucket policies, the root user ARN represents all IAM principals in the account.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The `Principal` element in an S3 bucket policy uses the ARN `arn:aws:iam::123456789012:root` to represent the root user of the specified account, which is a special principal that also implicitly includes all IAM users and roles in that account when used in a resource-based policy, but only if the policy explicitly allows it. Under the hood, AWS evaluates the policy by matching the principal ARN against the requester's identity; the root user ARN matches the account's root user and, in resource-based policies, also matches any IAM principal from that account because the policy is attached to the resource, not the identity. This is a common pattern for cross-account access where the root user is granted permissions, and then the account administrator delegates access to IAM users via IAM policies.
KKey Concepts to Remember
S3 Bucket Policy
Root User ARN
Principal
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
S3 Bucket Policy
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.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
Storage Class
Min Duration
Retrieval
Use Case
S3 Standard
None
Immediate
Frequently accessed data
S3 Standard-IA
30 days
Immediate
Infrequent access, rapid retrieval
S3 One Zone-IA
30 days
Immediate
Non-critical infrequent data
S3 Intelligent-Tiering
None
Immediate–hours
Unknown or changing access patterns
S3 Glacier Instant
90 days
Milliseconds
Archive with instant retrieval
S3 Glacier Flexible
90 days
Minutes–hours
Archive, flexible retrieval
S3 Glacier Deep Archive
180 days
Hours
Long-term compliance archive
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review s3 Bucket Policy, then practise related SAP-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
Design for New Solutions — This question tests Design for New Solutions — S3 Bucket Policy.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Full S3 access to the bucket and objects for all IAM users in account 123456789012. — In AWS S3 bucket policies, specifying the root user ARN `arn:aws:iam::123456789012:root` as the principal grants access to all IAM users and roles in that account, not just the root user. The root user ARN is a shorthand for the entire account. Therefore, the policy grants full S3 access to all IAM users in account 123456789012, making option B correct.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Review s3 Bucket Policy, then practise related SAP-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
What is the key concept behind this question?
S3 Bucket Policy
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