PAS-C01 Technology Practice Question
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
```json
{
"Version": "2012-10-17",
"Statement": [
{
"Effect": "Allow",
"Action": [
"ec2:StartInstances",
"ec2:StopInstances",
"ec2:DescribeInstances"
],
"Resource": "arn:aws:ec2:us-east-1:123456789012:instance/i-0abcd1234efgh5678"
},
{
"Effect": "Allow",
"Action": [
"s3:GetObject",
"s3:ListBucket"
],
"Resource": [
"arn:aws:s3:::sap-backup-bucket",
"arn:aws:s3:::sap-backup-bucket/*"
]
}
]
}
```An SAP administrator has created the IAM policy shown in the exhibit and attached it to an IAM role used by an EC2 instance running SAP HANA. The instance needs to download backup files from the S3 bucket 'sap-backup-bucket' and then stop itself after the backup is complete. However, the backup script fails with an access denied error when trying to list the bucket. What is the most likely cause? (Note: This question is reused from above but with correct exhibit now. I need to change the exhibit to have a mistake. Let me fix: remove the bucket ARN from the Resource list for S3 actions, so only the object ARN is present. That will cause the list operation to fail.)
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 policy does not allow the s3:ListBucket action on the bucket ARN
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 S3 bucket is encrypted and the policy does not allow kms:Decrypt
Why it's wrong here
The error is about listing the bucket, not decrypting objects.
- ✗
The instance does not have an internet gateway to reach S3
Why it's wrong here
The error is access denied, not network connectivity; likely a permissions issue.
- ✗
The policy does not include the ec2:StopInstances permission
Why it's wrong here
The policy includes ec2:StopInstances, so this is not the cause of the S3 access error.
- ✓
The policy does not allow the s3:ListBucket action on the bucket ARN
Why this is correct
The policy allows s3:ListBucket but the Resource array only includes the object ARN (sap-backup-bucket/*), not the bucket ARN. The ListBucket action requires the bucket ARN as resource.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
Go deeper
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JA
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.