TF-004 Understand Terraform's purpose Practice Question
Exhibit
Plan: 0 to add, 1 to change, 0 to destroy.
Refer to the exhibit. What does this output indicate?
⚠ Common exam trap
The Terraform plan output uses a tilde (~) to indicate an in-place update, meaning the resource will be modified without destruction and recreation. This is commonly confused with the plus (+) for creation or minus (-) for destruction.
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
✓
A resource will be modified
The output shows a Terraform plan with a tilde (~) prefix next to a resource attribute, which indicates an in-place update. This means Terraform will modify the existing resource without destroying and recreating it, confirming that option A is correct.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
A resource will be modified
Why this is correct
The Terraform plan output explicitly states "1 to change," which directly signifies that one existing infrastructure resource, previously managed by Terraform, has detected a configuration drift or an intentional update in the Terraform configuration. This indicates that Terraform will perform an in-place modification of that resource, altering one or more of its attributes without recreating it entirely. This action ensures the resource's state aligns with the desired configuration defined in the current Terraform code.
- ✗
A resource will be destroyed
Why it's wrong here
The Terraform plan summary clearly shows "0 to destroy," meaning no resources currently managed by Terraform are slated for removal from the infrastructure. A destruction action would be indicated by a non-zero value in the "to destroy" count, typically occurring when a resource block is removed from the configuration or its `count` is reduced to zero. Therefore, this option is incorrect as no resources will be deprovisioned.
- ✗
No changes
Why it's wrong here
The Terraform plan output explicitly reports "1 to change," which directly contradicts the assertion that no changes will occur. For a plan to indicate "no changes," all three counts—"to add," "to change," and "to destroy"—must be zero, signifying that the current infrastructure state perfectly matches the desired configuration. Since a modification is pending, the system is not in a "no changes" state.
- ✗
A resource will be created
Why it's wrong here
The Terraform plan output explicitly states "0 to add," which means no new infrastructure resources will be provisioned during this operation. Resource creation is indicated by a non-zero value in the "to add" count, typically when a new resource block is introduced into the configuration or an existing resource's `count` is increased. Consequently, this option is incorrect as no new resources are scheduled for deployment.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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