This EX294 practice question tests your understanding of implement advanced ansible automation. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
An Ansible playbook is designed to run on a group of database servers. The administrator wants to ensure that a task runs only on the primary database server, which is defined in the inventory with a variable 'primary: true'. Which conditional should be used?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "primary"
Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
ignore_errors: yes
Why wrong: ignore_errors does not affect whether the task runs.
when: primary
The when clause evaluates to true if the variable is truthy.
run_once: true
Why wrong: run_once runs the task on only one host, but not necessarily the primary.
delegate_to: "{{ primary }}"
Why wrong: Delegate_to changes the host that executes the task, but does not conditionally run it.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
when: primary
Option B is correct because the `when` conditional in Ansible evaluates a Jinja2 expression to determine whether a task should execute. By using `when: primary`, the task will run only on hosts where the inventory variable `primary` is defined and evaluates to `true` (a truthy value). This directly meets the requirement to target the primary database server.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
ignore_errors: yes
Why it's wrong here
ignore_errors does not affect whether the task runs.
when: primary
Why this is correct
The when clause evaluates to true if the variable is truthy.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
run_once: true
Why it's wrong here
run_once runs the task on only one host, but not necessarily the primary.
delegate_to: "{{ primary }}"
Why it's wrong here
Delegate_to changes the host that executes the task, but does not conditionally run it.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates confuse `run_once: true` with a conditional that selects a specific host, not realizing `run_once` merely limits execution to a single arbitrary host in the group, not the one defined by a variable like `primary: true`.
Detailed technical explanation
The `when` conditional uses Jinja2 templating and can reference any inventory variable, fact, or registered result. Under the hood, Ansible evaluates the expression in the context of the current host's variables; if `primary` is undefined or evaluates to a falsy value (e.g., `false`, `0`, empty string), the task is skipped. A subtle behavior is that `when: primary` is equivalent to `when: primary == true` only if `primary` is strictly boolean; if `primary` is a string like `'true'`, it will be truthy but not equal to the boolean `true`, so explicit comparison `when: primary | bool` is safer in mixed inventory formats.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A practitioner preparing for the EX294 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
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FAQ
Implement advanced Ansible automation — This question tests Implement advanced Ansible automation — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: when: primary — Option B is correct because the `when` conditional in Ansible evaluates a Jinja2 expression to determine whether a task should execute. By using `when: primary`, the task will run only on hosts where the inventory variable `primary` is defined and evaluates to `true` (a truthy value). This directly meets the requirement to target the primary database server.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "primary". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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