- A
Configure a target tracking scaling policy based on average CPU utilization.
Automatically scales out during traffic spikes.
- B
Enable detailed monitoring for EC2 instances.
Why wrong: Not required for scaling, though it helps with visibility.
- C
Use a larger instance type to handle more traffic per instance.
Why wrong: Does not improve elasticity; may be inefficient.
- D
Configure the Auto Scaling group to launch instances in multiple Availability Zones.
Improves availability and fault tolerance.
- E
Place the instances behind an Application Load Balancer with health checks.
Distributes traffic and removes unhealthy instances.
Question 945 of 1,546
SOA-C02 Reliability and Business Continuity Practice Question
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of reliability and business continuity. 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 runs a stateless web application on EC2 instances in an Auto Scaling group. To improve reliability during a traffic spike, which THREE actions should the SysOps administrator take? (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
✓
Configure a target tracking scaling policy based on average CPU utilization.
Option A is correct because a target tracking scaling policy based on average CPU utilization allows the Auto Scaling group to automatically adjust the number of EC2 instances in response to traffic spikes. This policy maintains the target metric (e.g., 50% CPU) by adding or removing instances, ensuring the application remains responsive without manual intervention. It is a key mechanism for improving reliability under variable load.
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.
- ✓
Configure a target tracking scaling policy based on average CPU utilization.
Why this is correct
Automatically scales out during traffic spikes.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Enable detailed monitoring for EC2 instances.
Why it's wrong here
Not required for scaling, though it helps with visibility.
- ✗
Use a larger instance type to handle more traffic per instance.
Why it's wrong here
Does not improve elasticity; may be inefficient.
- ✓
Configure the Auto Scaling group to launch instances in multiple Availability Zones.
Why this is correct
Improves availability and fault tolerance.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Place the instances behind an Application Load Balancer with health checks.
Why this is correct
Distributes traffic and removes unhealthy instances.
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 confuse detailed monitoring (which only improves metric granularity) with a direct reliability improvement, or they mistakenly believe that scaling up (larger instances) is equivalent to scaling out (more instances) for fault tolerance.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Target tracking scaling policies use a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control algorithm to smooth out scaling decisions, preventing oscillation (thrashing) by considering both the current metric value and its rate of change. Under the hood, the Auto Scaling service polls CloudWatch metrics every minute (with detailed monitoring) and calculates the desired capacity based on the target value, cooldown periods, and instance warm-up times. In a real-world scenario, combining this with an Application Load Balancer health check ensures that only healthy instances receive traffic, and multi-AZ deployment protects against an entire Availability Zone failure.
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.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Reliability and Business Continuity — study guide chapter
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Reliability and Business Continuity practice questions
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SOA-C02 question test?
Reliability and Business Continuity — This question tests Reliability and Business Continuity — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure a target tracking scaling policy based on average CPU utilization. — Option A is correct because a target tracking scaling policy based on average CPU utilization allows the Auto Scaling group to automatically adjust the number of EC2 instances in response to traffic spikes. This policy maintains the target metric (e.g., 50% CPU) by adding or removing instances, ensuring the application remains responsive without manual intervention. It is a key mechanism for improving reliability under variable load.
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
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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