SOA-C02 Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation Practice Question
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of monitoring, logging, and remediation. 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 wants to receive real-time notifications when specific API calls are made in their AWS account. Which TWO services can be used together to achieve this? (Choose TWO.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
AWS CloudTrail
AWS CloudTrail captures all API calls made in the AWS account and can deliver those events to CloudWatch Logs. Amazon CloudWatch Events (now part of Amazon EventBridge) can then process those log entries in real time using event rules that match specific API calls, triggering a target such as an SNS notification or Lambda function. This combination provides real-time notification without polling or custom code.
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 CloudTrail
Why this is correct
CloudTrail delivers API call logs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
Config evaluates configurations, not real-time API calls.
✗
AWS Lambda
Why it's wrong here
Lambda can be a target, but it's not a service that triggers based on events natively; it needs EventBridge.
✗
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Why it's wrong here
CloudWatch Logs stores logs, not real-time event triggering.
✓
Amazon CloudWatch Events
Why this is correct
EventBridge can match CloudTrail events and trigger notifications.
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 often pick AWS Lambda alone, thinking it can directly monitor API calls, but Lambda requires a triggering event source such as CloudWatch Events or S3, not raw CloudTrail logs.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
CloudTrail delivers management events to CloudWatch Logs via a trail configuration, using a log group and stream. CloudWatch Events (EventBridge) uses event patterns with exact matching on fields like 'eventName' and 'source' to trigger actions within seconds. A common real-world scenario is detecting unauthorized 'DeleteBucket' or 'CreateUser' API calls and sending an SNS alert to security teams.
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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
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.
Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation — This question tests Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: AWS CloudTrail — AWS CloudTrail captures all API calls made in the AWS account and can deliver those events to CloudWatch Logs. Amazon CloudWatch Events (now part of Amazon EventBridge) can then process those log entries in real time using event rules that match specific API calls, triggering a target such as an SNS notification or Lambda function. This combination provides real-time notification without polling or custom code.
What should I do if I get this SOA-C02 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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This SOA-C02 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 SOA-C02 exam.
Question Discussion
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