The answer is to verify that the subnet's route table has a route to an internet gateway (IGW). Even with a public IP and permissive security groups, an EC2 instance cannot be reached from the internet if its subnet lacks a default route (0.0.0.0/0) pointing to an IGW, because the instance cannot send return traffic back to internet clients. On the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate SOA-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how route tables control network pathing—a common trap is focusing only on security groups or network ACLs when the real issue is missing IGW connectivity. Remember that a public subnet is defined by its route table, not just the public IP assignment. Memory tip: "If the route doesn't point to the IGW, the internet says 'no way.'"
SOA-C02 Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation Practice Question
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of monitoring, logging, and remediation. 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.
A SysOps administrator is troubleshooting an issue where an EC2 instance running a web server is not reachable from the internet. The instance has a public IP and is in a public subnet. The security group allows HTTP and HTTPS from 0.0.0.0/0. The network ACL allows all inbound and outbound traffic. What should the administrator check NEXT?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Verify that the subnet's route table has a route to an internet gateway.
The instance is in a public subnet with a public IP and security group allowing HTTP/HTTPS, and the network ACL allows all traffic. The most likely remaining issue is that the subnet's route table lacks a route to an internet gateway (IGW), which is required for traffic to and from the internet. Without this route, the instance cannot send responses back to internet clients, making it unreachable despite having a public IP.
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.
✗
Check that the instance is associated with an Elastic IP address.
Why it's wrong here
The instance has a public IP, so an Elastic IP is not necessary.
✓
Verify that the subnet's route table has a route to an internet gateway.
Why this is correct
Without a route to the internet gateway, traffic cannot reach the internet.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Confirm that the instance's operating system firewall is disabled.
Why it's wrong here
The OS firewall could be blocking traffic, but the question asks for the NEXT step after checking security groups and NACLs.
✗
Review the VPC Flow Logs for the instance's network interface.
Why it's wrong here
Flow Logs would show if traffic is being blocked, but the route table is a simpler check.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume a public IP and permissive security groups are sufficient for internet access, overlooking the critical requirement of a route table entry pointing to an internet gateway for the subnet.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
Flow Logs would show if traffic is being blocked, but the route table is a simpler check.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
For an EC2 instance in a VPC to be reachable from the internet, the subnet's route table must have a default route (0.0.0.0/0) pointing to an internet gateway. This route enables the IGW to perform NAT for the instance's public IP, translating the destination IP to the instance's private IP. Without this route, the IGW drops traffic destined for the instance because it has no path to forward it into the VPC.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
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: Verify that the subnet's route table has a route to an internet gateway. — The instance is in a public subnet with a public IP and security group allowing HTTP/HTTPS, and the network ACL allows all traffic. The most likely remaining issue is that the subnet's route table lacks a route to an internet gateway (IGW), which is required for traffic to and from the internet. Without this route, the instance cannot send responses back to internet clients, making it unreachable despite having a public IP.
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
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
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.