- A
Use EBS Snapshots taken every 15 minutes and copy them to the DR region
EBS Snapshots can achieve 15-minute RPO.
- B
Use AWS Backup with a backup plan that takes cross-region backups every 15 minutes
Why wrong: AWS Backup supports cross-region but the minimum interval is typically 1 hour.
- C
Use Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) backed by EBS snapshots, taken hourly
Why wrong: Hourly AMIs would result in an RPO of up to 1 hour, exceeding the 15-minute requirement.
- D
Use EBS Multi-Attach volumes to allow the DR instance to access the same volumes
Why wrong: Multi-Attach is for low-latency clustering, not DR, and does not meet RPO/RTO.
- E
Use EBS Reboot (not Stop/Start) to move the instance to the DR region with replicated volumes
Reboot can be used with volume replication to achieve RTO under 1 hour.
PAS-C01 Operations and Maintenance Practice Question
This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of operations and maintenance. 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 disaster recovery strategy for a critical application that runs on EC2 instances with data stored on EBS volumes. The application requires RPO of 15 minutes and RTO of 1 hour. Which TWO approaches meet these requirements?
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
Use EBS Snapshots taken every 15 minutes and copy them to the DR region
Option A is correct because EBS Snapshots can be taken as frequently as every 15 minutes, and copying them to a DR region ensures that the most recent snapshot is available for recovery. When a disaster occurs, you can create a new EBS volume from the latest snapshot in the DR region, attach it to an EC2 instance, and achieve an RPO of 15 minutes and an RTO of under 1 hour (assuming the instance is pre-provisioned or launched quickly). This approach directly satisfies the stated recovery objectives without relying on instance-level operations.
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.
- ✓
Use EBS Snapshots taken every 15 minutes and copy them to the DR region
Why this is correct
EBS Snapshots can achieve 15-minute RPO.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use AWS Backup with a backup plan that takes cross-region backups every 15 minutes
Why it's wrong here
AWS Backup supports cross-region but the minimum interval is typically 1 hour.
- ✗
Use Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) backed by EBS snapshots, taken hourly
Why it's wrong here
Hourly AMIs would result in an RPO of up to 1 hour, exceeding the 15-minute requirement.
- ✗
Use EBS Multi-Attach volumes to allow the DR instance to access the same volumes
Why it's wrong here
Multi-Attach is for low-latency clustering, not DR, and does not meet RPO/RTO.
- ✓
Use EBS Reboot (not Stop/Start) to move the instance to the DR region with replicated volumes
Why this is correct
Reboot can be used with volume replication to achieve RTO under 1 hour.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the misconception that AWS Backup can support sub-hourly backup intervals, but the minimum is 1 hour, so candidates may incorrectly select Option B thinking it meets the 15-minute RPO.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
EBS Snapshots are incremental, meaning only changed blocks are uploaded after the initial snapshot, which allows frequent snapshots (every 15 minutes) with minimal overhead. The snapshot copy to a DR region can be automated via lifecycle policies or AWS Backup (though with a 1-hour minimum), but manual scripting with the AWS CLI or SDK can achieve the 15-minute copy frequency. In a real-world scenario, you would also pre-warm the volumes in the DR region to avoid the first-read latency penalty on restored volumes, ensuring the RTO is met.
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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PAS-C01 question test?
Operations and Maintenance — This question tests Operations and Maintenance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use EBS Snapshots taken every 15 minutes and copy them to the DR region — Option A is correct because EBS Snapshots can be taken as frequently as every 15 minutes, and copying them to a DR region ensures that the most recent snapshot is available for recovery. When a disaster occurs, you can create a new EBS volume from the latest snapshot in the DR region, attach it to an EC2 instance, and achieve an RPO of 15 minutes and an RTO of under 1 hour (assuming the instance is pre-provisioned or launched quickly). This approach directly satisfies the stated recovery objectives without relying on instance-level operations.
What should I do if I get this PAS-C01 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: Jun 11, 2026
This PAS-C01 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 PAS-C01 exam.
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