This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of migration. 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.
The above IAM policy is attached to an IAM role used by an AWS DMS replication instance. The DMS task is migrating data from an on-premises Oracle database to Amazon S3. The DMS task fails with an access error. What is missing from the policy?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Permissions to pass the IAM role to the DMS replication instance are missing
Option C is correct because the IAM policy attached to the role used by the DMS replication instance must include 'iam:PassRole' to allow DMS to pass the role to the replication instance. Without this permission, DMS cannot assume the role, leading to an access error. Option A is incorrect because EC2 describe permissions are not required for this migration. Option B is incorrect because the source is on-premises Oracle, not Amazon RDS. Option D is incorrect because the policy already includes S3 write permissions (implied by the context; the policy is not shown but the error is not about S3 access).
Key principle: ACLs process entries top to bottom and stop at the first match. Entry order and interface direction matter as much as the permit or deny statement.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Permissions to describe EC2 instances are missing
Why it's wrong here
The policy includes ec2:DescribeInstances.
✗
Permissions to access Amazon RDS are missing
Why it's wrong here
The source is on-premises, not RDS.
✓
Permissions to pass the IAM role to the DMS replication instance are missing
Why this is correct
DMS needs iam:PassRole to allow the replication instance to assume the role.
Related concept
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
✗
Permissions to write to the S3 bucket are missing
Why it's wrong here
The policy includes s3:PutObject for my-bucket.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: ACLs stop at the first match
ACLs are processed top to bottom. The first matching entry wins, and an implicit deny usually exists at the end.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
ACL questions test precision: source, destination, protocol, port and direction. A generally correct ACL can still fail if it is applied on the wrong interface or in the wrong direction.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
Extended ACLs can match source, destination, protocol and ports.
The first matching ACL entry is used.
There is usually an implicit deny at the end.
TExam Day Tips
→Check inbound versus outbound direction.
→Read the ACL from top to bottom.
→Look for a broader permit or deny above the intended line.
Key takeaway
ACLs process entries top to bottom and stop at the first match. Entry order and interface direction matter as much as the permit or deny statement.
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.
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
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review ACL processing order, placement rules (standard near destination, extended near source), and inbound vs outbound direction. Study wildcard masks and implicit deny. Then practise related PAS-C01 ACL questions on filtering logic and placement.
Migration — This question tests Migration — Standard ACLs match source addresses..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Permissions to pass the IAM role to the DMS replication instance are missing — Option C is correct because the IAM policy attached to the role used by the DMS replication instance must include 'iam:PassRole' to allow DMS to pass the role to the replication instance. Without this permission, DMS cannot assume the role, leading to an access error. Option A is incorrect because EC2 describe permissions are not required for this migration. Option B is incorrect because the source is on-premises Oracle, not Amazon RDS. Option D is incorrect because the policy already includes S3 write permissions (implied by the context; the policy is not shown but the error is not about S3 access).
What should I do if I get this PAS-C01 question wrong?
Review ACL processing order, placement rules (standard near destination, extended near source), and inbound vs outbound direction. Study wildcard masks and implicit deny. Then practise related PAS-C01 ACL questions on filtering logic and placement.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
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Question Discussion
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