CV0-004 Cloud Architecture and Design Practice Question
A cloud architect is designing a highly available web application. The application must remain available even if an entire AWS Availability Zone fails. The architect decides to deploy identical application instances in two separate Availability Zones and distribute traffic equally. Which architecture is being implemented?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is conflating high availability patterns — candidates often pick 'fault tolerance' as a generic term or 'active-passive' because they miss the phrase 'distribute traffic equally,' which specifically signals active-active.
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
✓
Active-active
An active-active architecture runs identical application instances in multiple Availability Zones simultaneously, with traffic distributed across all of them. Because both AZs are actively serving requests, the failure of one AZ results in the remaining AZ seamlessly absorbing the full load, maintaining availability. This is the defining characteristic described in the scenario — identical instances in two AZs with equal traffic distribution.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Fault tolerance
Why it's wrong here
Fault tolerance requires no interruption and typically duplicate components with automatic failover and no single point of failure; two zones sharing traffic equally is high availability, since a zone loss still disrupts in-flight sessions. Fault tolerance suits systems needing continuous, uninterrupted operation.
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Warm standby
Why it's wrong here
Warm standby keeps a scaled-down, non-production copy that is started on failover; here both zones run identical instances serving traffic simultaneously. Warm standby suits cost-sensitive disaster recovery where a reduced-capacity environment can be promoted after an outage.
- ✓
Active-active
Why this is correct
Active-active runs both Availability Zone instances concurrently, each serving traffic, so the loss of one zone leaves the other handling requests without failover delay. This satisfies the stem's requirement that the application remain available through a complete Availability Zone failure.
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Active-passive
Why it's wrong here
Active-passive has one instance serving while the other idles until failover; this design runs both actively behind load distribution. Active-passive suits disaster recovery where a standby exists purely to take over after the primary fails.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
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.