This PMP practice question tests your understanding of process — managing technical aspects. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. A key principle to apply: explicit Deny. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Refer to the exhibit. The project's access control policy allows read access only from the internal network (10.0.0.0/8) and denies access if not using an encrypted connection. A developer reports that they can access the repository from a machine with IP 10.0.0.5 using an encrypted connection. However, they cannot access it from a machine with IP 10.0.0.6 using an unencrypted connection. What is the most likely reason?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The Deny statement for unencrypted access overrides the Allow statement.
The correct answer is A because in policy evaluation logic, an explicit Deny always overrides any Allow. The policy includes a Deny statement that blocks access when an unencrypted connection is used. Since unencrypted access from 10.0.0.6 triggers this Deny, it overrides the Allow statement that permits access from the internal network, resulting in denied access.
Key principle: Explicit Deny
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
The Deny statement for unencrypted access overrides the Allow statement.
Why this is correct
Correct. The Deny for unencrypted access overrides the Allow for internal network.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Explicit Deny
✗
The policy requires both network and encrypted connection conditions to be met simultaneously.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. The policy allows internal network access with encryption; the Deny for unencrypted is separate and overrides.
✗
The IP address 10.0.0.5 is not in the allowed range.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. 10.0.0.5 is within the allowed internal network range.
✗
The IP address 10.0.0.6 is not in the allowed range.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. 10.0.0.6 is within the allowed internal network range; denial is due to unencrypted access.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume that if an IP is in the allowed range, all access is permitted, ignoring that an explicit Deny for a specific condition (like unencrypted connection) takes precedence over any Allow.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS IAM policy evaluation uses a default Deny, then explicit Allows, and finally explicit Denies that override any Allows. The policy's Deny statement with a condition of "NotHttps" (or similar) explicitly blocks any request not using HTTPS, regardless of source IP. In real-world scenarios, this ensures that even if an IP is whitelisted, insecure HTTP traffic is rejected, enforcing encryption compliance.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Explicit Deny
Policy Evaluation Logic
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Explicit Deny
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A security administrator must allow nursing staff to reach a patient records server while blocking access from the guest Wi-Fi VLAN. After applying an extended ACL, traffic is still blocked from nursing workstations. The ACL was applied outbound instead of inbound on the wrong interface. Questions like this test ACL direction and placement rules.
Visual reference
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this PMP question in full detail.
Process — Managing Technical Aspects — This question tests Process — Managing Technical Aspects — Explicit Deny.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The Deny statement for unencrypted access overrides the Allow statement. — The correct answer is A because in policy evaluation logic, an explicit Deny always overrides any Allow. The policy includes a Deny statement that blocks access when an unencrypted connection is used. Since unencrypted access from 10.0.0.6 triggers this Deny, it overrides the Allow statement that permits access from the internal network, resulting in denied access.
What should I do if I get this PMP question wrong?
Review explicit Deny, then practise related PMP questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Explicit Deny
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