- A
Take a snapshot of the volume with encryption enabled, create a new encrypted volume from the snapshot, detach the original volume, and attach the new volume
Creating an encrypted snapshot and restoring it to a new encrypted volume is the standard procedure with minimal downtime.
- B
Use the AWS Management Console to modify the volume and enable encryption in place
Why wrong: EBS does not support enabling encryption on an existing unencrypted volume in place.
- C
Take a snapshot of the volume, copy the snapshot with encryption enabled, then restore to a new volume and attach it to the instance
Why wrong: This works but requires an extra step (copy) compared to directly creating an encrypted snapshot.
- D
Detach the volume, enable encryption using the ModifyVolume API, then reattach
Why wrong: The ModifyVolume API does not support changing encryption status.
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 runs a critical application on an EC2 instance that uses a large EBS volume for database storage. The volume is not encrypted at rest. To meet compliance requirements, the company must enable encryption on the volume with minimal downtime. Which solution meets 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
Take a snapshot of the volume with encryption enabled, create a new encrypted volume from the snapshot, detach the original volume, and attach the new volume
Option A is correct because taking a snapshot of the unencrypted volume with encryption enabled creates an encrypted snapshot. From that snapshot, you can create a new encrypted EBS volume. Detaching the original volume and attaching the new encrypted volume to the same EC2 instance achieves encryption with minimal downtime—only the brief period required for the detach/attach operations. This approach does not require copying the snapshot, which would add unnecessary time.
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.
- ✓
Take a snapshot of the volume with encryption enabled, create a new encrypted volume from the snapshot, detach the original volume, and attach the new volume
Why this is correct
Creating an encrypted snapshot and restoring it to a new encrypted volume is the standard procedure with minimal downtime.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use the AWS Management Console to modify the volume and enable encryption in place
Why it's wrong here
EBS does not support enabling encryption on an existing unencrypted volume in place.
- ✗
Take a snapshot of the volume, copy the snapshot with encryption enabled, then restore to a new volume and attach it to the instance
Why it's wrong here
This works but requires an extra step (copy) compared to directly creating an encrypted snapshot.
- ✗
Detach the volume, enable encryption using the ModifyVolume API, then reattach
Why it's wrong here
The ModifyVolume API does not support changing encryption status.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may think the ModifyVolume API or console modification can enable encryption on an existing volume, but AWS does not support in-place encryption changes—only snapshot-based workflows are valid.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
EBS encryption is applied at the volume level using AWS KMS keys, and once a volume is created as unencrypted, its encryption state cannot be changed in place. The snapshot-based workflow leverages the fact that when you take a snapshot with the 'Encrypted' flag set to true, AWS automatically encrypts the snapshot data using the default KMS key or a specified CMK. This encrypted snapshot can then be used to create a new encrypted volume, which is attached to the instance, preserving all data. In real-world scenarios, this process can be automated with scripts to minimize downtime to seconds, and the original volume can be kept as a backup until the new volume is verified.
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: Take a snapshot of the volume with encryption enabled, create a new encrypted volume from the snapshot, detach the original volume, and attach the new volume — Option A is correct because taking a snapshot of the unencrypted volume with encryption enabled creates an encrypted snapshot. From that snapshot, you can create a new encrypted EBS volume. Detaching the original volume and attaching the new encrypted volume to the same EC2 instance achieves encryption with minimal downtime—only the brief period required for the detach/attach operations. This approach does not require copying the snapshot, which would add unnecessary time.
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.
About these practice questions
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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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