mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
CV0-004 Practice Question: A cloud administrator is reviewing cost reports…
A cloud administrator is reviewing cost reports and notices that a development environment is incurring high costs due to idle compute resources. The environment is used only during business hours on weekdays. Which of the following actions would MOST effectively reduce costs?
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA often tests the distinction between reducing per-unit cost (e.g., smaller instances, spot, different region) versus reducing total runtime cost, and the trap here is that candidates choose a cost-reduction method that still leaves resources running 24/7 instead of aligning compute with actual usage patterns.
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
✓
Implement an auto-scaling schedule to shut down instances during off-hours.
An auto-scaling schedule allows you to define time-based rules to automatically scale in (terminate) instances during off-hours and scale out (launch) them during business hours. This directly addresses the idle compute waste by ensuring resources are only running when needed, which is the most effective cost reduction strategy for a predictable usage pattern like weekdays 9-to-5.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Implement an auto-scaling schedule to shut down instances during off-hours.
Why this is correct
This stops instances when not in use, significantly reducing costs without impacting availability during business hours.
- ✗
Move the development environment to a different region with lower costs.
Why it's wrong here
Moving regions is complex and may not address the core issue of idle resources.
- ✗
Change all instances to smaller instance types.
Why it's wrong here
Smaller instances may not provide sufficient resources for development work during peak usage.
- ✗
Use spot instances for all development servers.
Why it's wrong here
Spot instances can be terminated at any time, which is unsuitable for development environments needing persistence.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every CV0-004 question from scratch — 977 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CV0-004 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA 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 CV0-004 exam.