easyMultiple Select
CV0-004 Practice Question: Is deploying a new application that requires high…
A cloud engineer is deploying a new application that requires high availability. The solution must include automated failover and load balancing. Which TWO of the following should the engineer implement?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse data backup or database replication (options B and C) with application-level high availability and load balancing, failing to recognize that automated failover and load balancing require multiple active compute instances and a traffic distributor, not just data redundancy.
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
✓
Configure an auto scaling group with a minimum of two instances across two availability zones.
Option A is correct because an Auto Scaling group spanning two Availability Zones ensures the application runs on at least two instances in separate failure domains, and Auto Scaling can automatically replace unhealthy instances, providing automated failover and high availability. Option E is correct because an Application Load Balancer distributes incoming traffic across the instances and uses health checks to detect and route around failed targets, delivering both load balancing and automated failover at the traffic layer. Together, A and E satisfy the stated requirements of high availability, automated failover, and load balancing. Option B is incorrect because daily snapshots only provide backup and recovery, not automated failover or load balancing. Option C is incorrect because a cross-region read replica addresses database read scaling and disaster recovery, not application-level failover or load balancing. Option D is incorrect because a single large instance is a single point of failure and provides neither automated failover nor load balancing.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Configure an auto scaling group with a minimum of two instances across two availability zones.
Why this is correct
An auto scaling group spanning two availability zones provides both required capabilities: the load balancer distributes traffic across healthy instances, while automated failover occurs when the group replaces failed instances in the surviving zone. This directly satisfies the high availability, automated failover and load balancing constraints in the stem.
- ✗
Take daily snapshots of the instance and store them in a different region.
Why it's wrong here
Snapshots are point-in-time backups restored manually, so they provide neither automated failover nor load balancing; recovery takes minutes and loses recent data. Snapshots are the right choice for backup, retention and disaster recovery objectives, not for continuous availability.
- ✗
Configure a read replica in a different region for failover.
Why it's wrong here
A read replica serves read-only queries and requires manual promotion, so it delivers neither automated failover nor load balancing for the application tier. Cross-region replicas suit read scaling and disaster recovery, not the active-active availability the stem demands.
- ✗
Deploy the application on a single large instance with more resources.
Why it's wrong here
One large instance is a single point of failure; scaling vertically adds capacity but no redundancy, so an outage still takes the application down. Vertical scaling is correct when a workload is resource-bound and downtime is acceptable, not when automated failover is required.
- ✓
Place the instances behind an application load balancer with health checks.
Why this is correct
An application load balancer with health checks directly delivers both required capabilities: it distributes incoming traffic across healthy instances, and health checks detect failed nodes so traffic is automatically routed away from them. This satisfies the stem's automated failover and load balancing constraints at the application layer.
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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.