EX294 Manage inventories and credentials Practice Question
Your team stores two inventories: a static file at inventories/prod and a dynamic inventory plugin configuration at inventories/aws_ec2.yml. The static file defines the group `db` with `db1 ansible_host=172.16.5.10`, while the plugin also returns a host named db1 with the address 172.16.5.99. You run `ansible-inventory -i inventories/prod -i inventories/aws_ec2.yml --host db1`. Which host variable value does Ansible report for ansible_host?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming command-line order of -i flags decides precedence, when merging actually favors the last-processed source.
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
✓
172.16.5.99, because the last inventory source processed takes precedence for the same host.
Merging multiple inventories unifies hosts and groups rather than rejecting duplicates. For a host present in several sources, variables from the source processed later override those from earlier sources. Since the dynamic plugin is processed after the static file, its ansible_host value is the one that survives, so the host resolves to the plugin-provided address.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
172.16.5.99, because the last inventory source processed takes precedence for the same host.
Why this is correct
When inventories are merged, Ansible combines hosts and groups, and for a host defined in more than one source the variable values from the later source override earlier ones. Here the dynamic plugin is processed after the static file, so its ansible_host value of 172.16.5.99 prevails. You can verify this with ansible-inventory before running production playbooks.
- ✗
Both values are retained, and Ansible fails with a duplicate host variable error.
Why it's wrong here
Ansible does not raise an error for a host appearing in multiple inventories; it merges the definitions and applies a precedence rule to conflicting variables. The inventory system is deliberately tolerant of overlapping sources so that dynamic and static data can be combined. A duplicate-variable failure would make hybrid inventories unusable.
- ✗
Neither value; Ansible reports the host as undefined because duplicate host names are skipped.
Why it's wrong here
Duplicate host names are not discarded. Ansible treats the host as a single entity and merges the variables from each source, so db1 remains addressable and pingable. The command returns a definition for db1 rather than an empty result, which is why precedence rules for conflicting variables exist in the first place.
- ✗
172.16.5.10, because the first inventory source listed on the command line takes precedence.
Why it's wrong here
Ansible does not resolve conflicts by the order of -i flags. When the same host is defined in multiple sources, the last source processed wins for overlapping variables, so the first-listed static file does not override the plugin. Assuming leftmost precedence leads to the wrong address being used in playbooks.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Red Hat exam blueprint
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.