- A
A route table for private subnets with a default route pointing to the NAT Gateway.
This route ensures that outbound traffic from private subnets is directed to the NAT Gateway.
- B
An Internet Gateway attached to the VPC.
An Internet Gateway is required for any internet traffic, inbound or outbound, to and from the VPC.
- C
A Virtual Private Gateway (VGW).
Why wrong: A VGW is used for VPN connections to on-premises networks, not for internet access.
- D
A NAT Gateway in a public subnet.
A NAT Gateway enables instances in private subnets to initiate outbound traffic to the internet and receive responses, but prevents inbound connections from the internet.
- E
A VPC endpoint for S3.
Why wrong: VPC endpoints provide private access to AWS services like S3, but do not provide general internet access.
SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. 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 is designing a new VPC with public and private subnets. The company wants to ensure that instances in the private subnets can download updates from the internet, but cannot be directly accessed from the internet. Which THREE components are required to meet these requirements? (Choose THREE.)
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
A route table for private subnets with a default route pointing to the NAT Gateway.
Option A is correct because a route table for private subnets with a default route (0.0.0.0/0) pointing to a NAT Gateway ensures that outbound traffic from instances in private subnets is forwarded to the NAT Gateway for internet access, while the NAT Gateway does not allow inbound connections initiated from the internet. This satisfies the requirement that instances can download updates but cannot be directly accessed from the internet.
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.
- ✓
A route table for private subnets with a default route pointing to the NAT Gateway.
- ✓
An Internet Gateway attached to the VPC.
Why this is correct
An Internet Gateway is required for any internet traffic, inbound or outbound, to and from the VPC.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
A Virtual Private Gateway (VGW).
Why it's wrong here
A VGW is used for VPN connections to on-premises networks, not for internet access.
- ✓
A NAT Gateway in a public subnet.
- ✗
A VPC endpoint for S3.
Why it's wrong here
VPC endpoints provide private access to AWS services like S3, but do not provide general internet access.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse a Virtual Private Gateway (VGW) with a NAT Gateway, mistakenly thinking a VGW can provide internet access, or they assume a VPC endpoint for S3 is sufficient for general internet downloads, when it only covers S3 traffic.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
A NAT Gateway operates at Layer 4 (TCP/UDP) and performs source network address translation (SNAT), rewriting the source IP of outbound packets to the NAT Gateway's Elastic IP address. It maintains stateful connection tracking, so return traffic from the internet is allowed only if it corresponds to an outbound connection initiated by a private instance. In contrast, an Internet Gateway (IGW) is a horizontally scaled, redundant component that provides a target for VPC routes to the internet and performs one-to-one NAT for instances with public IPs, but it does not allow private instances to initiate outbound traffic without a NAT device.
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 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.
Visual reference
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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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAP-C02 question test?
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: A route table for private subnets with a default route pointing to the NAT Gateway. — Option A is correct because a route table for private subnets with a default route (0.0.0.0/0) pointing to a NAT Gateway ensures that outbound traffic from instances in private subnets is forwarded to the NAT Gateway for internet access, while the NAT Gateway does not allow inbound connections initiated from the internet. This satisfies the requirement that instances can download updates but cannot be directly accessed from the internet.
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
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