PAS-C01 Operations and Maintenance Practice Question
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
{
"Version": "2012-10-17",
"Statement": [
{
"Effect": "Allow",
"Action": [
"ec2:StartInstances",
"ec2:StopInstances",
"ec2:RebootInstances"
],
"Resource": "arn:aws:ec2:us-east-1:123456789012:instance/i-0abcdef1234567890"
},
{
"Effect": "Allow",
"Action": [
"ec2:DescribeInstances"
],
"Resource": "*"
}
]
}An SAP administrator attaches this IAM policy to a user. The user is unable to start an EC2 instance with ID i-0abcdef1234567890. What is the most likely cause?
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 IAM policy is applied to a user who is working in a different AWS region than the one specified in the resource ARN.
The IAM policy likely includes a resource ARN that specifies a region (e.g., us-east-1). IAM policies with resource ARNs that include a region only apply to resources in that region. If the user is attempting to start the EC2 instance in a different region (e.g., eu-west-1), the policy does not grant permission, even though it includes ec2:StartInstances. Option B correctly identifies this region mismatch as the most likely cause. Options A, C, and D are incorrect because the policy does include the necessary actions for starting an instance.
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 IAM policy does not include the ec2:RebootInstances action.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. The ec2:RebootInstances action is not required to start an instance; the issue is not about missing actions.
- ✓
The IAM policy is applied to a user who is working in a different AWS region than the one specified in the resource ARN.
Why this is correct
Correct. The resource ARN in the policy specifies a particular region, but the user is operating in a different region, so the policy does not apply.
- ✗
The IAM policy does not include the ec2:DescribeInstances action.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. The ec2:DescribeInstances action is not needed to start an instance; the policy likely includes it anyway.
- ✗
The IAM policy does not include the ec2:StartInstances action.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. The policy most likely includes ec2:StartInstances, but the region mismatch prevents it from being effective.
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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.