EX294 Manage inventories and credentials Practice Question
This EX294 practice question tests your understanding of manage inventories and credentials. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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.
Which TWO statements about machine credentials in Ansible Tower are correct? (Choose two.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Machine credentials can specify a 'become_method' for privilege escalation.
Option A is correct because Ansible Tower machine credentials include a 'Become Method' field that allows you to specify privilege escalation methods such as 'sudo', 'su', 'pbrun', or 'pfexec'. This setting is used by Ansible to escalate privileges on the target machine after the initial SSH connection is established, enabling tasks that require higher-level permissions.
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.
✓
Machine credentials can specify a 'become_method' for privilege escalation.
Why this is correct
Become method (e.g., sudo) is configurable.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Machine credentials can use an SSH private key for authentication.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The SSH private key file automatically includes privilege escalation settings.
Why it's wrong here
Privilege escalation is separate from authentication.
✗
The username field is optional when using an SSH key.
Why it's wrong here
Username is always required for SSH authentication.
✗
SSH key credentials require a password field to be filled in.
Why it's wrong here
Password is optional; key can be used alone.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume the SSH private key file inherently includes privilege escalation settings, or that the username is optional when using SSH keys, but Ansible Tower strictly requires a username and treats privilege escalation as a separate configuration field.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Ansible Tower stores machine credentials as encrypted YAML or JSON objects in its database. When a job runs, Tower uses the credential's username and either the SSH private key or password to establish an SSH connection via paramiko or OpenSSH. The 'become_method' is passed to the Ansible playbook as an extra variable or inventory variable, and Ansible's become system handles the actual privilege escalation by executing commands like 'sudo -u root' on the remote host. A real-world scenario is managing a mixed environment where some servers require 'sudo' and others require 'su', and you can define different credentials with different become methods for each group.
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 junior network technician can log in to a core router but cannot reach the enable prompt or configuration mode. The AAA server is authenticating the login — but the authorisation policy only grants privilege level 1, not 15. Authentication (who you are) is working; authorisation (what you can do) is not.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Manage inventories and credentials — This question tests Manage inventories and credentials — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Machine credentials can specify a 'become_method' for privilege escalation. — Option A is correct because Ansible Tower machine credentials include a 'Become Method' field that allows you to specify privilege escalation methods such as 'sudo', 'su', 'pbrun', or 'pfexec'. This setting is used by Ansible to escalate privileges on the target machine after the initial SSH connection is established, enabling tasks that require higher-level permissions.
What should I do if I get this EX294 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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