- A
An SCP at the root level denies EC2 actions.
A restrictive SCP at the root would override the permissive development OU SCP.
- B
The SCP at the development OU level denies EC2 actions.
Why wrong: The development OU SCP allows all actions.
- C
The IAM user does not have MFA enabled, and an SCP requires MFA.
Why wrong: There is no indication of an MFA requirement.
- D
An SCP at the root level requires encryption on EC2 instances, which is not satisfied.
Why wrong: SCPs do not enforce encryption; they only control permissions.
Question 463 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. 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 uses AWS Organizations with a hierarchical OU structure. The security OU has an SCP that denies all actions except those explicitly allowed. The development OU has an SCP that allows all actions. A developer account in the development OU tries to launch an EC2 instance but receives an access denied error. The IAM user in the developer account has full administrator permissions. What is the most likely cause?
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
✓
An SCP at the root level denies EC2 actions.
The most likely cause is an SCP at the root level that denies EC2 actions. In AWS Organizations, SCPs are evaluated hierarchically: an explicit deny at the root level overrides any allow from a lower-level OU or account-level policy. Even though the development OU has an SCP that allows all actions, the root-level SCP (which denies all actions except those explicitly allowed) will block EC2 actions unless EC2 is explicitly allowed in that root SCP. The IAM user's full administrator permissions are irrelevant because SCPs act as a permission boundary that cannot be bypassed by account-level IAM policies.
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.
- ✓
An SCP at the root level denies EC2 actions.
Why this is correct
A restrictive SCP at the root would override the permissive development OU SCP.
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 SCP at the development OU level denies EC2 actions.
Why it's wrong here
The development OU SCP allows all actions.
- ✗
The IAM user does not have MFA enabled, and an SCP requires MFA.
Why it's wrong here
There is no indication of an MFA requirement.
- ✗
An SCP at the root level requires encryption on EC2 instances, which is not satisfied.
Why it's wrong here
SCPs do not enforce encryption; they only control permissions.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume the development OU's 'allow all' SCP overrides the root-level SCP, but in AWS Organizations, an explicit deny at any level (especially the root) takes precedence over any allow, and SCPs are not additive—they are evaluated as a union of all applicable SCPs with explicit denies taking priority.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
SCPs are evaluated using a deny-by-default model when combined with an explicit deny at a higher level. The root-level SCP in this scenario likely uses a Deny list that blocks all actions except those explicitly allowed, meaning any service not listed (like EC2) is implicitly denied. This is a common pattern for security OUs, but when applied at the root, it affects all accounts, including those in development OUs, unless the development OU's SCP explicitly allows the denied actions—but even then, an explicit deny at the root cannot be overridden by a lower-level allow. The IAM user's permissions are evaluated after SCPs, so the SCP effectively removes the ability to call EC2 APIs.
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
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity — study guide chapter
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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: An SCP at the root level denies EC2 actions. — The most likely cause is an SCP at the root level that denies EC2 actions. In AWS Organizations, SCPs are evaluated hierarchically: an explicit deny at the root level overrides any allow from a lower-level OU or account-level policy. Even though the development OU has an SCP that allows all actions, the root-level SCP (which denies all actions except those explicitly allowed) will block EC2 actions unless EC2 is explicitly allowed in that root SCP. The IAM user's full administrator permissions are irrelevant because SCPs act as a permission boundary that cannot be bypassed by account-level IAM policies.
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.
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: Jul 4, 2026
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