- A
AWS managed policy: SecurityAudit
Why wrong: SecurityAudit is limited to security-related services, not EC2 configurations.
- B
AWS managed policy: ReadOnlyAccess
ReadOnlyAccess provides read-only access to all services, suitable for auditors.
- C
AWS managed policy: AdministratorAccess
Why wrong: AdministratorAccess grants full permissions, not read-only.
- D
AWS managed policy: PowerUserAccess
Why wrong: PowerUserAccess allows creating resources, exceeding read-only.
PAS-C01 Technology Practice Question
This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of technology. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 system administrator needs to grant an external auditor read-only access to view EC2 instance configurations and CloudWatch logs. Which IAM policy should they use?
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
AWS managed policy: ReadOnlyAccess
The ReadOnlyAccess AWS managed policy grants read-only access to all AWS services and resources, including EC2 instance configurations and CloudWatch logs, without allowing any write or modify actions. This policy is the most appropriate for an external auditor who needs to view but not change any resources, as it provides the necessary read permissions across services while preventing any modifications.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
AWS managed policy: SecurityAudit
Why it's wrong here
SecurityAudit is limited to security-related services, not EC2 configurations.
- ✓
AWS managed policy: ReadOnlyAccess
Why this is correct
ReadOnlyAccess provides read-only access to all services, suitable for auditors.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS managed policy: AdministratorAccess
Why it's wrong here
AdministratorAccess grants full permissions, not read-only.
- ✗
AWS managed policy: PowerUserAccess
Why it's wrong here
PowerUserAccess allows creating resources, exceeding read-only.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose SecurityAudit because it sounds security-focused, but it lacks the broad read-only access to EC2 and CloudWatch logs required for this specific auditor scenario.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The ReadOnlyAccess policy is a managed policy that uses a wildcard `*` for all services and resources but restricts actions to `Describe*`, `Get*`, `List*`, `Read*`, and similar read-only API calls. For EC2, this includes actions like `ec2:DescribeInstances` and `ec2:DescribeInstanceAttribute`, while for CloudWatch Logs, it includes `logs:DescribeLogGroups` and `logs:GetLogEvents`. In a real-world scenario, if the auditor needs to view specific log streams or instance metadata, this policy ensures they cannot accidentally or maliciously terminate instances or delete log data.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PAS-C01 question test?
Technology — This question tests Technology — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: AWS managed policy: ReadOnlyAccess — The ReadOnlyAccess AWS managed policy grants read-only access to all AWS services and resources, including EC2 instance configurations and CloudWatch logs, without allowing any write or modify actions. This policy is the most appropriate for an external auditor who needs to view but not change any resources, as it provides the necessary read permissions across services while preventing any modifications.
What should I do if I get this PAS-C01 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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.
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