EX294 Manage inventories and credentials Practice Question
A sysadmin receives an error when running a job template: 'ERROR! the role 'common' was not found in the specified roles path'. The role exists in a source control repository referenced in the project. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse a credential failure (Option D) with a sync failure, but the error message specifically points to a missing role file, not an authentication issue, and the sync failure is the direct cause of the missing role.
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
✓
The project's source control sync failed, so the roles directory is empty
The error indicates that Ansible cannot find the 'common' role in the specified roles path. Since the role exists in the source control repository referenced by the project, the most likely cause is that the project's source control sync failed, leaving the roles directory empty or incomplete. Without a successful sync, the role files are not present on the Ansible control node, causing the job template execution to fail.
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 inventory does not include the target hosts
Why it's wrong here
The error names a roles path lookup failure, not host targeting; an inventory without the target hosts would produce a 'no hosts matched' or unreachable-host error instead. Inventories are tempting because they define where plays run, and would be the correct focus if the job failed to reach any managed node.
- ✓
The project's source control sync failed, so the roles directory is empty
Why this is correct
A failed project sync leaves the local checkout without the roles directory, so Ansible's configured roles path contains no `common` role and the lookup fails. The stem states the role exists only in source control, making a stale or empty working copy the direct cause of the not-found error.
- ✗
The job template is configured with an incorrect schedule
Why it's wrong here
Schedules only control when a job template launches; a wrong schedule would cause the job to run at the wrong time or not at all, never a roles-path resolution error. Schedules are tempting because they govern template automation, and would be the correct focus if the job failed to trigger as planned.
- ✗
The credential used does not have access to the source control repository
Why it's wrong here
A credential lacking repository access would prevent the project from syncing at all, typically surfacing as an authentication or clone failure, not a missing role after a successful checkout. Credentials are the fix when the project itself cannot fetch its source.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 392 original EX294 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This EX294 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Red Hat 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 EX294 exam.