easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
CV0-004 Practice Question: A cloud administrator manages a multi-tier web…
A cloud administrator manages a multi-tier web application running on AWS. The application consists of a load balancer, web servers in an auto scaling group, and a MySQL RDS database. Recently, users have reported slow page load times during peak hours. The cloud administrator has checked the load balancer metrics and found that response times are high, but CPU utilization on the web servers is below 60%. The RDS instance shows high read IOPS and a high number of database connections. The administrator suspects the database is the bottleneck. Which of the following actions should the administrator take FIRST to resolve the performance 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
✓
Enable an in-memory caching layer such as ElastiCache to reduce database load.
The database is the bottleneck due to high read IOPS and connections. Enabling an in-memory caching layer (e.g., ElastiCache) reduces read queries hitting the database, alleviating the bottleneck with minimal changes. Option A is incorrect because migrating to a larger instance class is more costly and disruptive; caching is a simpler first step. Option B is incorrect because adding read replicas can help distribute read load but requires application changes to route queries; caching is often more immediate. Option C is incorrect because web server CPU is low, so increasing web server size does not address the database bottleneck.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Migrate the database to a larger instance class.
Why it's wrong here
Larger instance class can handle more IOPS but is a more costly and disruptive change than implementing caching.
- ✗
Add read replicas to offload read queries from the primary database.
Why it's wrong here
Read replicas require application changes to direct read traffic and may not address all queries; caching is less invasive.
- ✗
Increase the size of the web servers to handle more requests faster.
Why it's wrong here
Web server CPU is not saturated, so increasing size won't reduce response time.
- ✓
Enable an in-memory caching layer such as ElastiCache to reduce database load.
Why this is correct
Caching frequently accessed data reduces database reads and improves response times quickly.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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