- A
The NAT gateway's subnet does not have a route to an internet gateway
The NAT gateway needs a route to the IGW to reach the internet.
- B
The private subnet's network ACL blocks outbound HTTPS traffic
Why wrong: That could be an issue, but the most likely cause is routing for the NAT gateway itself.
- C
The security group attached to the NAT gateway does not allow outbound traffic
Why wrong: NAT gateways do not use security groups; they are controlled by network ACLs.
- D
The private instances do not have a public IP address assigned
Why wrong: Private instances route through the NAT gateway, which provides internet access; they do not need public IPs.
Question 345 of 1,546
SOA-C02 Networking and Content Delivery Practice Question
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of networking and content delivery. 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.
An organization has a VPC with public and private subnets. The private subnets need to access the internet for software updates. A NAT gateway is deployed in a public subnet and the private subnet route table has a route for 0.0.0.0/0 pointing to the NAT gateway. However, instances in the private subnet cannot reach the internet. What could be the issue?
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
✓
The NAT gateway's subnet does not have a route to an internet gateway
The NAT gateway must be in a public subnet with a route table that includes a default route (0.0.0.0/0) pointing to an internet gateway (IGW). Without this route, the NAT gateway cannot forward traffic from the private subnet to the internet, because the IGW is the only way to reach public IP addresses. The question states the NAT gateway is deployed in a public subnet, but if that subnet's route table lacks the IGW route, outbound traffic from the NAT gateway will fail.
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.
- ✓
The NAT gateway's subnet does not have a route to an internet gateway
- ✗
The private subnet's network ACL blocks outbound HTTPS traffic
- ✗
The security group attached to the NAT gateway does not allow outbound traffic
Why it's wrong here
NAT gateways do not use security groups; they are controlled by network ACLs.
- ✗
The private instances do not have a public IP address assigned
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume placing a NAT gateway in a 'public subnet' automatically gives it internet access, but the subnet must have a route table entry pointing 0.0.0.0/0 to an internet gateway for the NAT gateway to function.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
A NAT gateway uses Elastic IP addresses for outbound traffic, but it still requires the IGW as the next hop in its subnet's route table because the IGW performs source network address translation (SNAT) for the NAT gateway's Elastic IP. Without the IGW route, the NAT gateway's traffic is dropped at the VPC edge. In practice, this is a common misconfiguration when a NAT gateway is placed in a subnet that lacks an explicit 0.0.0.0/0 route to an IGW, often because the subnet was intended to be private but was labeled 'public' without proper routing.
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.
Visual reference
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?
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: The NAT gateway's subnet does not have a route to an internet gateway — The NAT gateway must be in a public subnet with a route table that includes a default route (0.0.0.0/0) pointing to an internet gateway (IGW). Without this route, the NAT gateway cannot forward traffic from the private subnet to the internet, because the IGW is the only way to reach public IP addresses. The question states the NAT gateway is deployed in a public subnet, but if that subnet's route table lacks the IGW route, outbound traffic from the NAT gateway will fail.
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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