- A
Launch EC2 instances in at least two different Availability Zones.
Distributing instances across AZs provides fault tolerance.
- B
Place a CloudFront distribution in front of the instances.
Why wrong: CloudFront caches content but does not provide load balancing or failover across AZs.
- C
Launch all EC2 instances in a single Availability Zone for consistency.
Why wrong: A single AZ is a single point of failure.
- D
Register the instances with an Application Load Balancer that has health checks enabled.
The load balancer distributes traffic and automatically routes away from unhealthy instances.
- E
Attach an EBS volume to each instance and replicate data in real-time.
Why wrong: EBS volumes are AZ-specific; replication does not provide high availability for the application layer.
Quick Answer
The correct actions are distributing EC2 instances across multiple Availability Zones and registering them with an Application Load Balancer that has health checks enabled. This combination ensures high availability with EC2 and ALB across availability zones because if one AZ fails, the load balancer automatically routes traffic only to healthy instances in the remaining zones, while health checks continuously monitor instance status and remove unhealthy targets from the pool. On the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate SOA-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of fault-tolerant architecture patterns, often appearing in questions that try to distract you with single-AZ solutions or EBS-based persistence. A common trap is assuming a single large instance in one AZ is sufficient, but that creates a single point of failure. Remember the memory tip: "Spread and check" — spread instances across AZs and let the ALB check their health.
SOA-C02 Networking and Content Delivery Practice Question
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of networking and content delivery. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 needs to ensure high availability for a web application running on EC2 instances across multiple Availability Zones. Which TWO actions should the administrator take?
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
Launch EC2 instances in at least two different Availability Zones.
Options A and C are correct. Distributing instances across multiple AZs and registering them with a load balancer that routes to healthy instances ensures high availability. Option B is incorrect because a single instance in one AZ is a single point of failure. Option D is incorrect because EBS volumes are tied to a single AZ. Option E is incorrect because CloudFront does not replace a load balancer for high availability.
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.
- ✓
Launch EC2 instances in at least two different Availability Zones.
Why this is correct
Distributing instances across AZs provides fault tolerance.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Place a CloudFront distribution in front of the instances.
Why it's wrong here
CloudFront caches content but does not provide load balancing or failover across AZs.
- ✗
Launch all EC2 instances in a single Availability Zone for consistency.
Why it's wrong here
A single AZ is a single point of failure.
- ✓
Register the instances with an Application Load Balancer that has health checks enabled.
Why this is correct
The load balancer distributes traffic and automatically routes away from unhealthy instances.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Attach an EBS volume to each instance and replicate data in real-time.
Why it's wrong here
EBS volumes are AZ-specific; replication does not provide high availability for the application layer.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which SOA-C02 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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Networking and Content Delivery — study guide chapter
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Networking and Content Delivery practice questions
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SOA-C02 practice test guide
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SOA-C02 question test?
Networking and Content Delivery — This question tests Networking and Content Delivery — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Launch EC2 instances in at least two different Availability Zones. — Options A and C are correct. Distributing instances across multiple AZs and registering them with a load balancer that routes to healthy instances ensures high availability. Option B is incorrect because a single instance in one AZ is a single point of failure. Option D is incorrect because EBS volumes are tied to a single AZ. Option E is incorrect because CloudFront does not replace a load balancer for high availability.
What should I do if I get this SOA-C02 question wrong?
Identify which SOA-C02 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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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.
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