The answer is that the ec2:TerminateInstances action is restricted to instances in us-east-1 only. This is because the IAM policy specifies a resource ARN that includes the region us-east-1 and account 123456789012, so an instance in us-west-2 like i-abc123 does not match that ARN, causing the action to be implicitly denied. On the AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty PAS-C01 exam, this tests your understanding of how resource-level permissions in IAM policies enforce region restrictions for EC2 termination, a common trap where candidates overlook that the ARN’s region field overrides any global action allowance. Remember the mnemonic “ARN locks the region” — if the resource ARN includes a specific region, the action only works there, regardless of where the instance lives.
PAS-C01 Technology Practice Question
This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of technology. 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.
An SAP administrator created the IAM policy shown in the exhibit. When trying to terminate an EC2 instance with ID i-abc123 in us-west-2, the action fails. What is the reason?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The ec2:TerminateInstances action is restricted to instances in us-east-1 only.
Option B is correct because the TerminateInstances action is restricted to a specific resource ARN that includes the region us-east-1 and account 123456789012. The instance i-abc123 in us-west-2 does not match that ARN, so the action is denied. Option A is incorrect because StartInstances and StopInstances are allowed on all resources. Option C is incorrect because the condition key is not used. Option D is incorrect because the policy does not have a Deny effect.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
There is an implicit Deny for all actions not explicitly allowed.
Why it's wrong here
The policy allows TerminateInstances only for the specified ARN; other resources are implicitly denied.
✓
The ec2:TerminateInstances action is restricted to instances in us-east-1 only.
Why this is correct
The resource ARN specifies us-east-1, so terminating instances in other regions is denied.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
The policy is missing a condition key to allow termination in us-west-2.
Why it's wrong here
No condition keys are used; the issue is the resource ARN.
✗
The ec2:StartInstances and ec2:StopInstances actions are not granted for the specific instance.
Why it's wrong here
Those actions are allowed on all resources.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related PAS-C01 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Technology — This question tests Technology — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The ec2:TerminateInstances action is restricted to instances in us-east-1 only. — Option B is correct because the TerminateInstances action is restricted to a specific resource ARN that includes the region us-east-1 and account 123456789012. The instance i-abc123 in us-west-2 does not match that ARN, so the action is denied. Option A is incorrect because StartInstances and StopInstances are allowed on all resources. Option C is incorrect because the condition key is not used. Option D is incorrect because the policy does not have a Deny effect.
What should I do if I get this PAS-C01 question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related PAS-C01 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Question Discussion
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