← PAS-C01·Amazon Web Services

Question 878 of 1,733

Operations and Maintenance →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Stop EC2 Instances Off-Hours

This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of operations and maintenance. 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.

A company runs SAP on AWS and wants to reduce costs for non-production environments that are used only during business hours (8 AM to 6 PM). Which action should the administrator take to minimize costs without losing data?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.

A
Convert the instances to Reserved Instances
Why wrong: Reserved Instances are cost-effective for steady-state usage, not for intermittent hours. They require a 1- or 3-year commitment and do not align with the non-production schedule of 8 AM to 6 PM.
B
Terminate the instances after business hours
Why wrong: Terminating instances would delete the EC2 instances and their associated data unless a backup (e.g., AMI or EBS snapshot) is taken. The requirement is to minimize costs without losing data, so termination without backup is risky.
C
Downsize the instance types to the smallest available
Why wrong: Downsizing instance types reduces compute capacity but still incurs charges for running instances 24/7. Stopping instances completely eliminates compute costs during non-business hours.
D
Stop the instances during non-business hours and use Amazon EBS snapshots for backup
Stopping instances preserves data on EBS volumes and eliminates compute charges while stopped. Using EBS snapshots provides additional backup and data protection.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Stop the instances during non-business hours and use Amazon EBS snapshots for backup

Option D is correct because stopping instances when not in use eliminates compute costs while preserving data via Amazon EBS snapshots. Option A (Reserved Instances) is wrong because Reserved Instances are intended for steady-state usage and do not provide savings for intermittent usage; the idea of reducing instance size is not relevant to this option. Option B (Terminate) would lose data unless snapshots are taken, and the question specifies 'without losing data.' Option C (Downsize) could reduce costs but still incurs compute charges 24/7, whereas stopping completely eliminates compute costs during non-business hours.

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.

✗
Convert the instances to Reserved Instances
Why it's wrong here
Reserved Instances are cost-effective for steady-state usage, not for intermittent hours. They require a 1- or 3-year commitment and do not align with the non-production schedule of 8 AM to 6 PM.
✗
Terminate the instances after business hours
Why it's wrong here
Terminating instances would delete the EC2 instances and their associated data unless a backup (e.g., AMI or EBS snapshot) is taken. The requirement is to minimize costs without losing data, so termination without backup is risky.
✗
Downsize the instance types to the smallest available
Why it's wrong here
Downsizing instance types reduces compute capacity but still incurs charges for running instances 24/7. Stopping instances completely eliminates compute costs during non-business hours.
✓
Stop the instances during non-business hours and use Amazon EBS snapshots for backup
Why this is correct
Stopping instances preserves data on EBS volumes and eliminates compute charges while stopped. Using EBS snapshots provides additional backup and data protection.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" 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

Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.

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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.

TExam Day Tips

Underline the problem statement mentally.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Identify which PAS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this PAS-C01 question test?

Operations and Maintenance — This question tests Operations and Maintenance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Stop the instances during non-business hours and use Amazon EBS snapshots for backup — Option D is correct because stopping instances when not in use eliminates compute costs while preserving data via Amazon EBS snapshots. Option A (Reserved Instances) is wrong because Reserved Instances are intended for steady-state usage and do not provide savings for intermittent usage; the idea of reducing instance size is not relevant to this option. Option B (Terminate) would lose data unless snapshots are taken, and the question specifies 'without losing data.' Option C (Downsize) could reduce costs but still incurs compute charges 24/7, whereas stopping completely eliminates compute costs during non-business hours.

What should I do if I get this PAS-C01 question wrong?

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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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.