The answer is a spot instance. This pricing model allows you to access unused cloud capacity at a steep discount—often 60-90% less than on-demand pricing—but with the trade-off that the instance can be terminated with short notice when the provider reclaims the resources. On the CompTIA A+ Core 1 220-1201 exam, this question tests your understanding of advanced cloud pricing models, specifically how spot instances differ from on-demand (full price, no interruption risk) and reserved instances (long-term commitment for steady workloads). A common trap is confusing spot instances with reserved instances, but remember: reserved is for predictable, always-on workloads, while spot is for fault-tolerant, interruptible tasks. For the exam, think of spot as “cheap but choppy”—you save money but must handle sudden termination. A quick memory tip: “Spot the discount, risk the drop.”
220-1101 Cloud Computing Concepts Practice Question
This 220-1201 practice question tests your understanding of cloud computing concepts. 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 company uses a public cloud provider for compute resources. To reduce costs, they want to use unused capacity at a lower price but accept that the instance may be terminated with short notice. Which pricing model should they choose?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Spot instance
This question tests knowledge of advanced cloud pricing models. A spot instance (or preemptible VM) uses unused cloud capacity at a steep discount but can be terminated when the provider needs the resources back. On-demand is full price, reserved is for long-term commitments, and dedicated hosts are for isolation, not cost savings with termination risk.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
On-demand instance
Why it's wrong here
On-demand instances are full price and not terminated early, but they do not offer the cost savings of spot instances.
✗
Reserved instance
Why it's wrong here
Reserved instances require a long-term commitment and are not designed for short-notice termination.
✓
Spot instance
Why this is correct
Spot instances use spare capacity at a lower cost but can be reclaimed by the provider at any time.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
Dedicated host
Why it's wrong here
Dedicated hosts provide physical isolation and are more expensive, not suitable for cost savings with termination risk.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this 220-1201 question in full detail.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related 220-1201 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Cloud Computing Concepts — This question tests Cloud Computing Concepts — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Spot instance — This question tests knowledge of advanced cloud pricing models. A spot instance (or preemptible VM) uses unused cloud capacity at a steep discount but can be terminated when the provider needs the resources back. On-demand is full price, reserved is for long-term commitments, and dedicated hosts are for isolation, not cost savings with termination risk.
What should I do if I get this 220-1201 question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related 220-1201 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Question Discussion
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