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Security and CompliancemediumMultiple SelectObjective-mapped

SOA-C02 Security and Compliance Practice Question

This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security and compliance. 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 SysOps administrator is configuring CloudTrail to log all management events and data events for S3 buckets. Which of the following are true about CloudTrail logging? (Choose THREE.)

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

CloudTrail logs include the identity of the user who made the API call

Option B is correct because CloudTrail logs include the identity of the user or role that made the API call, captured as the `userIdentity` element in the log record. This element contains details such as the ARN, access key ID, and whether the call was made by an IAM user, federated user, or assumed role, enabling full auditability of who performed each action.

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.

  • Data events for S3 are logged by default for all buckets

    Why it's wrong here

    Data events are not logged by default; they must be explicitly enabled.

  • CloudTrail logs include the identity of the user who made the API call

    Why this is correct

    CloudTrail records the IAM user or role that made the call.

    Related concept

    Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

  • Management events are logged by default

    Why this is correct

    CloudTrail logs management events by default for all services.

    Related concept

    Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

  • CloudTrail can log events for all AWS services automatically

    Why it's wrong here

    Only services that are supported can be logged; not all services are supported.

  • CloudTrail can deliver log files to CloudWatch Logs for real-time analysis

    Why this is correct

    CloudTrail can be configured to send logs to CloudWatch Logs.

    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 assume data events are logged by default because S3 is a core service, but CloudTrail requires explicit opt-in for data events, and management events are the only ones enabled by default.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

CloudTrail management events include control plane operations (e.g., CreateBucket, PutBucketPolicy) and are enabled by default for all trails, while data events (e.g., GetObject, PutObject) require explicit configuration and incur additional costs. The `userIdentity` field in a CloudTrail log record uses the AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) principal ARN, and for S3 data events, the identity may be the bucket owner or the requester depending on the access control method (e.g., IAM policies, bucket policies, or ACLs).

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

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.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this SOA-C02 question test?

Security and Compliance — This question tests Security and Compliance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: CloudTrail logs include the identity of the user who made the API call — Option B is correct because CloudTrail logs include the identity of the user or role that made the API call, captured as the `userIdentity` element in the log record. This element contains details such as the ARN, access key ID, and whether the call was made by an IAM user, federated user, or assumed role, enabling full auditability of who performed each action.

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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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026

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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.