The answer is that the explicit Deny for HTTP overrides the Allow for the internal IP range because in AWS IAM policy evaluation logic, an explicit Deny always overrides any Allow, regardless of the order of statements. This is a fundamental principle: while an implicit Deny (the default) can be overridden by an Allow, an explicit Deny is absolute and cannot be bypassed. On the Project Management Professional PMP exam, this concept tests your understanding of how security controls interact with project resource permissions, often appearing in scenario-based questions about cloud governance or access management. A common trap is assuming that an Allow statement for a specific condition (like IP range) will automatically grant access, forgetting that a conflicting Deny for another condition (like protocol) takes precedence. Remember the mnemonic: “Deny is the final say—it always gets the final say.”
PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Question
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. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. 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 S3 bucket policy allows read access only from the internal IP range (10.0.0.0/8) and denies access if not using HTTPS. A developer reports that they can access the bucket from a machine with IP 10.0.0.5 using HTTPS. However, they cannot access it from a machine with IP 10.0.0.6 using HTTP. 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 HTTP overrides the Allow statement.
The correct answer is A because in AWS IAM policy evaluation logic, an explicit Deny always overrides any Allow. The policy includes a Deny statement that blocks access when HTTPS is not used. Since HTTP access from 10.0.0.6 triggers this Deny, it overrides the Allow statement that permits access from the internal IP range, resulting in denied access.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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 HTTP overrides the Allow statement.
Why this is correct
Explicit Deny prevents access when SecureTransport is false.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The policy requires both IP and HTTPS conditions to be met simultaneously.
Why it's wrong here
The Allow requires IP, but the Deny is separate and blocks HTTP regardless.
✗
The IP address 10.0.0.5 is not in the allowed range.
Why it's wrong here
10.0.0.5 is within 10.0.0.0/8.
✗
The IP address 10.0.0.6 is not in the allowed range.
Why it's wrong here
10.0.0.6 is within 10.0.0.0/8.
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 HTTP) 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
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
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
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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.
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 — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The Deny statement for HTTP overrides the Allow statement. — The correct answer is A because in AWS IAM policy evaluation logic, an explicit Deny always overrides any Allow. The policy includes a Deny statement that blocks access when HTTPS is not used. Since HTTP access from 10.0.0.6 triggers this Deny, it overrides the Allow statement that permits access from the internal IP range, resulting in denied access.
What should I do if I get this PMP question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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