This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of design of sap workloads on aws. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 runs the above CLI command to find the public IP of an m5.2xlarge instance. The output is null. Which of the following is the most likely reason?
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.
The security group blocks the public IP
Why wrong: Security groups do not control IP assignment.
The CLI command has a syntax error
Why wrong: The command syntax is valid.
The instance type m5.2xlarge does not support public IP addresses
Why wrong: All EC2 instance types can have public IPs if configured.
The instance does not have a public IP address assigned
The instance may be in a private subnet or launched without a public IP.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
The instance does not have a public IP address assigned
The CLI command `aws ec2 describe-instances --instance-ids <id> --query 'Reservations[0].Instances[0].PublicIpAddress'` returns null because the instance does not have a public IP address assigned. In AWS, a public IP is only assigned to an instance if it is launched in a subnet that auto-assigns public IPv4 addresses, or if an Elastic IP is attached. The command itself is syntactically correct and will output null (or an empty string) when no public IP exists, not an error.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
The security group blocks the public IP
Why it's wrong here
Security groups do not control IP assignment.
The CLI command has a syntax error
Why it's wrong here
The command syntax is valid.
The instance type m5.2xlarge does not support public IP addresses
Why it's wrong here
All EC2 instance types can have public IPs if configured.
The instance does not have a public IP address assigned
Why this is correct
The instance may be in a private subnet or launched without a public IP.
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
The trap here is that candidates may incorrectly attribute the null output to a security group blocking the IP or a syntax error, rather than understanding that the instance simply lacks a public IP address due to subnet configuration or missing Elastic IP.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
The command syntax is valid.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, the `PublicIpAddress` field in the EC2 describe-instances response is only present when the instance has a public IPv4 address, which can be auto-assigned at launch (if the subnet's `MapPublicIpOnLaunch` attribute is true) or manually attached via an Elastic IP. If the instance is in a private subnet or the subnet does not have auto-assign public IP enabled, the field is omitted from the response, causing the JMESPath query to return null. This is distinct from an empty string; the AWS CLI's `--query` will output `null` for missing keys.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
Visual reference
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FAQ
Design of SAP Workloads on AWS — This question tests Design of SAP Workloads on AWS — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: The instance does not have a public IP address assigned — The CLI command `aws ec2 describe-instances --instance-ids <id> --query 'Reservations[0].Instances[0].PublicIpAddress'` returns null because the instance does not have a public IP address assigned. In AWS, a public IP is only assigned to an instance if it is launched in a subnet that auto-assigns public IPv4 addresses, or if an Elastic IP is attached. The command itself is syntactically correct and will output null (or an empty string) when no public IP exists, not an error.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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