DA0-002 Data Concepts and Environments Practice Question
A data analyst needs to retrieve current weather data from a third-party service. The service provides an endpoint that returns data in JSON format over HTTP. Which data source type is being used?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse 'web scraping' (Option C) with API consumption because both involve HTTP, but scraping parses unstructured HTML while an API returns structured JSON, and CompTIA often tests this distinction by describing a direct JSON endpoint to lure test-takers into selecting web scraping.
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
✓
API
The data analyst is retrieving data from a third-party service via an HTTP endpoint that returns JSON. This is the classic definition of an API (Application Programming Interface) — specifically a RESTful web API — which allows programmatic access to structured data over HTTP using standard methods like GET. The JSON format confirms it is an API response, not a file or stream.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Streaming data
Why it's wrong here
Streaming data is continuous; API call returns a one-time snapshot.
- ✗
Flat file
Why it's wrong here
Flat files are stored locally, not accessed via HTTP endpoint.
- ✗
Web scraping
Why it's wrong here
Web scraping extracts data from web pages; API is a structured interface.
- ✓
API
Why this is correct
REST API provides structured data via HTTP.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This DA0-002 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 DA0-002 exam.