This EX294 practice question tests your understanding of manage inventories and credentials. 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. An Ansible playbook targeting server1 fails with a permissions error when connecting. The administrator notices the SSH private key is being used. Which change will likely fix the issue?
Add `ansible_become: yes` to the playbook.
Why wrong: Become is for privilege escalation, not connection.
Remove ansible_ssh_common_args.
Why wrong: Not related to permissions error.
Change ansible_user to 'ec2-user'.
ec2-user is the default for many cloud images.
Set ansible_ssh_private_key_file to a different key.
Why wrong: Key is being used; username is the issue.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Change ansible_user to 'ec2-user'.
Option C is correct because the error indicates that the SSH private key being used does not correspond to the user attempting to connect. In many cloud environments like AWS, the default user for Amazon Linux 2 is 'ec2-user', and the SSH private key is tied to that user. Changing `ansible_user` to 'ec2-user' ensures the correct user context for key-based authentication, resolving the permissions error.
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.
Add `ansible_become: yes` to the playbook.
Why it's wrong here
Become is for privilege escalation, not connection.
Remove ansible_ssh_common_args.
Why it's wrong here
Not related to permissions error.
Change ansible_user to 'ec2-user'.
Why this is correct
ec2-user is the default for many cloud images.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Set ansible_ssh_private_key_file to a different key.
Why it's wrong here
Key is being used; username is the issue.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often assume the SSH key itself is the problem (Option D) or that privilege escalation (Option A) will bypass authentication, when the real issue is a mismatch between the SSH user and the key's authorized user.
Detailed technical explanation
Ansible uses the `ansible_user` variable to determine the SSH login name, which must match the user for which the SSH private key is authorized on the target host. The SSH protocol authenticates based on the public key stored in `~/.ssh/authorized_keys` of that user; if the user is wrong (e.g., 'root' when the key is for 'ec2-user'), the server rejects the connection. In cloud environments, the default user varies by distribution (e.g., 'ubuntu' for Ubuntu, 'centos' for CentOS), and misconfiguring this is a common cause of 'Permission denied (publickey)' errors.
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
Manage inventories and credentials — This question tests Manage inventories and credentials — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Change ansible_user to 'ec2-user'. — Option C is correct because the error indicates that the SSH private key being used does not correspond to the user attempting to connect. In many cloud environments like AWS, the default user for Amazon Linux 2 is 'ec2-user', and the SSH private key is tied to that user. Changing `ansible_user` to 'ec2-user' ensures the correct user context for key-based authentication, resolving the permissions error.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
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