Question 595 of 1,733
TechnologyeasyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

PAS-C01 Technology Practice Question

This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of technology. 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 needs to provide temporary, time-limited access to an S3 bucket containing SAP backup files for an external auditor. The auditor should be able to download files from the bucket. Which method provides the most secure way to grant access?

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

Generate a presigned URL for each file the auditor needs to download.

Option D is correct because presigned URLs grant temporary, time-limited access to specific S3 objects without requiring the auditor to have AWS credentials or any permanent permissions. The SAP administrator can generate a presigned URL for each backup file, set an expiration time, and share the URL with the auditor, who can then download the file using standard HTTP GET requests. This approach follows the principle of least privilege and ensures access is revoked automatically after the URL expires.

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.

  • Create an IAM user with read-only access to the bucket and share the credentials with the auditor.

    Why it's wrong here

    Credentials are long-lived and not temporary.

  • Provide the auditor with the root user credentials of the AWS account.

    Why it's wrong here

    Sharing root credentials is a severe security risk.

  • Make the bucket publicly readable and share the bucket URL.

    Why it's wrong here

    Public access is insecure and not time-limited.

  • Generate a presigned URL for each file the auditor needs to download.

    Why this is correct

    Presigned URLs are time-limited and scoped to specific objects.

    Related concept

    Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates may choose Option A (IAM user) because it seems like a standard access control method, but they overlook the requirement for temporary, time-limited access and the security risks of sharing long-term credentials with an external party.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Presigned URLs are generated using the AWS Signature Version 4 signing process, where the S3 service creates a URL that includes the access key ID, expiration timestamp, and a signature derived from the secret access key. The URL can be generated for GET (download), PUT (upload), or DELETE operations, and the expiration can be set from 1 second to a maximum of 7 days (12 hours for AWS Management Console-generated URLs). In real-world scenarios, presigned URLs are ideal for sharing large backup files with external auditors because they avoid the overhead of IAM user management and eliminate the risk of permanent credential leakage.

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.

Quick reference

AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison

Storage ClassMin DurationRetrievalUse Case
S3 StandardNoneImmediateFrequently accessed data
S3 Standard-IA30 daysImmediateInfrequent access, rapid retrieval
S3 One Zone-IA30 daysImmediateNon-critical infrequent data
S3 Intelligent-TieringNoneImmediate–hoursUnknown or changing access patterns
S3 Glacier Instant90 daysMillisecondsArchive with instant retrieval
S3 Glacier Flexible90 daysMinutes–hoursArchive, flexible retrieval
S3 Glacier Deep Archive180 daysHoursLong-term compliance archive

What to study next

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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: Generate a presigned URL for each file the auditor needs to download. — Option D is correct because presigned URLs grant temporary, time-limited access to specific S3 objects without requiring the auditor to have AWS credentials or any permanent permissions. The SAP administrator can generate a presigned URL for each backup file, set an expiration time, and share the URL with the auditor, who can then download the file using standard HTTP GET requests. This approach follows the principle of least privilege and ensures access is revoked automatically after the URL expires.

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

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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.