- A
Manually add EC2 instances to the Auto Scaling group.
Why wrong: Manual scaling does not automate based on demand.
- B
Configure a scaling trigger based on a CloudWatch alarm for CPU utilization.
Auto Scaling uses CloudWatch alarms to trigger scaling actions.
- C
Modify the instance type to a larger size.
Why wrong: Instance type change does not automatically scale the number of instances.
- D
Increase the number of load balancers.
Why wrong: More load balancers do not cause scaling; they distribute traffic.
Question 863 of 1,546
SOA-C02 Deployment, Provisioning, and Automation Practice Question
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of deployment, provisioning, and automation. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 is using AWS Elastic Beanstalk to deploy a web application. The application experiences high traffic during peak hours. The SysOps administrator wants to automatically scale the environment based on CPU utilization. Which configuration change is required?
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
✓
Configure a scaling trigger based on a CloudWatch alarm for CPU utilization.
Option B is correct because AWS Elastic Beanstalk integrates with Amazon CloudWatch and Auto Scaling to allow you to define a scaling trigger based on a CloudWatch alarm for CPU utilization. When the alarm threshold is breached, the Auto Scaling group automatically adds or removes EC2 instances, enabling the environment to handle high traffic during peak hours without manual intervention.
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.
- ✗
Manually add EC2 instances to the Auto Scaling group.
Why it's wrong here
Manual scaling does not automate based on demand.
- ✓
Configure a scaling trigger based on a CloudWatch alarm for CPU utilization.
Why this is correct
Auto Scaling uses CloudWatch alarms to trigger scaling actions.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Modify the instance type to a larger size.
Why it's wrong here
Instance type change does not automatically scale the number of instances.
- ✗
Increase the number of load balancers.
Why it's wrong here
More load balancers do not cause scaling; they distribute traffic.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse vertical scaling (changing instance size) with horizontal scaling (adding/removing instances), or they assume manual actions like adding instances or load balancers are valid automation strategies for Elastic Beanstalk environments.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Elastic Beanstalk uses Auto Scaling groups with CloudWatch alarms to trigger scaling policies. The scaling trigger is configured by specifying a CloudWatch metric (e.g., CPUUtilization), a comparison operator, a threshold (e.g., > 70%), and the number of instances to add or remove. Under the hood, the Auto Scaling group executes a step scaling or simple scaling policy, which adjusts the desired capacity based on the alarm state, ensuring the application can handle traffic spikes while minimizing costs during low traffic.
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
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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SOA-C02 question test?
Deployment, Provisioning, and Automation — This question tests Deployment, Provisioning, and Automation — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure a scaling trigger based on a CloudWatch alarm for CPU utilization. — Option B is correct because AWS Elastic Beanstalk integrates with Amazon CloudWatch and Auto Scaling to allow you to define a scaling trigger based on a CloudWatch alarm for CPU utilization. When the alarm threshold is breached, the Auto Scaling group automatically adds or removes EC2 instances, enabling the environment to handle high traffic during peak hours without manual intervention.
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
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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