- A
The SCP only denies future API calls; it does not affect already running instances.
SCPs are preventive, not detective or corrective.
- B
The SCP has a delay of up to 24 hours before it takes effect.
Why wrong: SCPs are effective within minutes.
- C
The SCP is not attached to the management account.
Why wrong: The SCP should be attached to the OU, not the management account.
- D
The SCP condition is incorrectly formatted; SCPs cannot evaluate instance types.
Why wrong: SCPs can use conditions to evaluate instance types.
Question 234 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. 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. 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 using AWS Organizations with a single OU for all production accounts. The security team wants to restrict the use of specific instance types across all accounts in the OU. They create a Service Control Policy (SCP) that denies ec2:RunInstances if the instance type is not in the allowed list. However, some accounts still launch disallowed instance types. 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
✓
The SCP only denies future API calls; it does not affect already running instances.
The most likely cause is that the SCP only denies future API calls, not already running instances. SCPs are evaluated at the time of the API request; any instances launched before the SCP was applied or before it was updated to include the deny condition will continue to run unaffected. The security team may be observing those pre-existing disallowed instances, not new launches.
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 SCP only denies future API calls; it does not affect already running instances.
Why this is correct
SCPs are preventive, not detective or corrective.
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 has a delay of up to 24 hours before it takes effect.
Why it's wrong here
SCPs are effective within minutes.
- ✗
The SCP is not attached to the management account.
Why it's wrong here
The SCP should be attached to the OU, not the management account.
- ✗
The SCP condition is incorrectly formatted; SCPs cannot evaluate instance types.
Why it's wrong here
SCPs can use conditions to evaluate instance types.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume SCPs apply retroactively to existing resources, but AWS SCPs only affect future API actions, not the state of already-provisioned resources.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
SCPs are evaluated as a deny-by-default or allow-by-default policy depending on the effective permissions model. The ec2:InstanceType condition key is a string that can be matched with a 'ForAnyValue:StringNotEquals' or 'ForAllValues:StringNotEquals' operator to restrict allowed instance types. SCPs do not retroactively terminate or modify existing resources; they only gate new API calls, which is why running instances launched before the policy change remain active.
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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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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: The SCP only denies future API calls; it does not affect already running instances. — The most likely cause is that the SCP only denies future API calls, not already running instances. SCPs are evaluated at the time of the API request; any instances launched before the SCP was applied or before it was updated to include the deny condition will continue to run unaffected. The security team may be observing those pre-existing disallowed instances, not new launches.
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
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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