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.
Refer to the exhibit. An IAM policy is attached to an IAM role used by an SAP automation script. The script is failing to start an EC2 instance. What is the most likely cause?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The script is not using HTTPS, so the Deny statement blocks all actions.
The Deny statement in the policy blocks all actions unless the request uses HTTPS. Since the SAP automation script is failing to start an EC2 instance, the most likely cause is that the script is making HTTP requests instead of HTTPS, triggering the Deny and preventing any action, including ec2:StartInstances. This is a common security control to enforce encryption in transit.
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.
✗
The policy does not grant permission to start instances.
Why it's wrong here
The policy allows ec2:StartInstances on all resources.
✗
The policy does not allow ec2:DescribeInstances.
Why it's wrong here
The policy allows ec2:DescribeInstances.
✗
The script does not have access to the S3 bucket.
Why it's wrong here
The policy allows s3:GetObject and s3:PutObject on the bucket.
✓
The script is not using HTTPS, so the Deny statement blocks all actions.
Why this is correct
The Deny statement with aws:SecureTransport: false blocks all actions if not using HTTPS.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
AWS often tests the nuance that a Deny statement with a condition (like aws:SecureTransport) can override all Allow statements, leading candidates to overlook the condition and incorrectly focus on missing permissions.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
IAM policy evaluation logic processes explicit Deny statements before any Allow, meaning if a request does not use HTTPS (i.e., the condition aws:SecureTransport equals false), the Deny blocks all actions regardless of any Allow statements. This is a critical security best practice to enforce TLS for all API calls, as AWS APIs support both HTTP and HTTPS, but HTTP exposes credentials and data in transit. In automation scripts, failing to specify HTTPS in the endpoint URL (e.g., using http://ec2.amazonaws.com instead of https://ec2.amazonaws.com) is a common oversight.
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 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.
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.
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: The script is not using HTTPS, so the Deny statement blocks all actions. — The Deny statement in the policy blocks all actions unless the request uses HTTPS. Since the SAP automation script is failing to start an EC2 instance, the most likely cause is that the script is making HTTP requests instead of HTTPS, triggering the Deny and preventing any action, including ec2:StartInstances. This is a common security control to enforce encryption in transit.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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