PAS-C01 Migration Practice Question
Network Topology
An administrator is migrating an on-premises application to AWS. The application stores persistent data on a separate disk. The administrator launched an EC2 instance as a test and attached an additional EBS volume for the persistent data. The above exhibit shows the block device mapping for the test instance. Later, the administrator terminates the test instance, but the persistent data must be retained. However, after termination, the persistent data volume is also deleted. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to assume the persistent data volume is the one with a different volume ID (vol-0f1e2d3c4b5a67890) and overlook the possibility that the data was actually stored on the root volume, which has DeleteOnTermination set to true by default.
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 administrator mistakenly stored the persistent data on the root volume (vol-0a1b2c3d4e5f67890), which has DeleteOnTermination set to true.
The exhibit shows the root volume (vol-0a1b2c3d4e5f67890) as the only volume with DeleteOnTermination set to true. The administrator intended to store persistent data on a separate EBS volume, but the data was actually stored on the root volume. When the instance was terminated, the root volume was deleted due to its DeleteOnTermination flag being true, causing the loss of the persistent data.
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 instance was stopped instead of terminated, and the persistent data volume was detached during the stop.
Why it's wrong here
Stopping an instance does not delete volumes; the volume would still exist.
- ✗
The persistent data volume (vol-0f1e2d3c4b5a67890) had DeleteOnTermination set to false, but the administrator inadvertently changed it before termination.
Why it's wrong here
The exhibit shows DeleteOnTermination is false for that volume, so it should not be deleted upon termination.
- ✓
The administrator mistakenly stored the persistent data on the root volume (vol-0a1b2c3d4e5f67890), which has DeleteOnTermination set to true.
Why this is correct
If the persistent data was on the root volume, it would be deleted when the instance is terminated because DeleteOnTermination is true.
- ✗
The persistent data volume was not properly attached to the instance before termination.
Why it's wrong here
The exhibit shows the volume is attached with status 'attached'.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.