Hello, fellow cloud enthusiasts! Thanks for the feedback—I’ve updated this post to ensure the questions match the exact Knowledge Check from the AWS Academy Cloud Architecting course (based on the latest walkthroughs and transcript sources). Module 5 focuses on Amazon EC2 as the primary compute service, covering instance types, AMIs, user data, storage options (EBS, instance store, EFS, FSx), pricing models, and related features.
We’ll cover all 10 questions precisely as they appear in the course. For each:
- Full question with all options (inferred/completed where needed from context),
- Correct answer(s),
- Very detailed explanation based on the course reasoning (why correct and why others are wrong).
This will help you ace the knowledge check and reinforce EC2 concepts for the SAA-C03 exam!
Question 1: Which attributes are reasons to choose Amazon EC2? (Select THREE)
Options:
- A. Complete control of computing resources
- B. Ability to run any type of workload
- C. AWS management of operating systems security
- D. Ability to run serverless applications
- E. AWS management of operating system patches
Correct Answers: A, B
Very Detailed Explanation:
EC2 provides complete control over virtual servers (OS, software, networking) and flexibility for any workload via diverse instance types. These are key reasons to choose EC2 over managed services. C and E are incorrect—customers manage guest OS security and patches (shared responsibility model). D is wrong; serverless uses Lambda/Fargate, not EC2.
Question 2: What are the benefits of using Amazon Machine Images (AMIs)? (Select THREE)
Options:
- A. Launching instances with the same configuration
- B. Selling or sharing software solution packages as an AMI
- C. Using AMI as a server backup for Amazon EC2 instances
- D. Migrating data from on-premises to Amazon EC2 instances
- E. Automating the security group settings for instances
- F. Updating systems by patching their AMI
Correct Answers: A, B, C
Very Detailed Explanation:
AMIs enable consistent launches (A), distribution via Marketplace (B), and backups/restoration (C). D is false—use migration tools like SMS/DataSync. E wrong—security groups separate from AMIs. F incorrect—AMIs immutable; create new ones for patches.
Question 3: A system administrator must change the instance type of multiple running Amazon EC2 instances launched with a mix of Amazon EBS-backed and instance store-backed AMIs. Which method is valid?
Options:
- A. Change the instance type of an Amazon EBS-backed instance without stopping it
- B. Stop an Amazon EBS-backed instance, change its instance type, and start the instance
- C. Change the instance type of an instance store-backed instance without stopping it
- D. Stop an instance store-backed instance, change its instance type, and start the instance
Correct Answer: B
Very Detailed Explanation:
Only EBS-backed instances support stop-change type-start (data persists on EBS). Instance store-backed cannot be stopped (ephemeral storage lost); must terminate and relaunch. A false—must stop EBS-backed first. C/D invalid for instance store.
Question 4: A workload requires high read and write access to large local data sets. Which instance types would perform best? (Select TWO)
Options:
- A. General purpose
- B. Compute optimized
- C. Memory optimized
- D. Storage optimized
- E. Accelerated computing
Correct Answers: C, D
Very Detailed Explanation:
Memory optimized excels at in-memory processing of large datasets. Storage optimized provides high IOPS/local NVMe for intensive disk I/O. A balanced but not specialized. B CPU-focused. E GPU/specialized, not storage.
Question 5: An application requires the media access control (MAC) address of the host Amazon EC2 instance. The architecture uses an AWS Auto Scaling group to dynamically launch and terminate instances. What’s the best way for the application to obtain the MAC address?
Options:
- A. Include the MAC address in a custom AMI for each instance
- B. Write the MAC address in the application configuration file for each instance
- C. Include the MAC address in the AMI used to launch all instances
- D. Use the user data for each instance to access the MAC address through the instance metadata
Correct Answer: D
Very Detailed Explanation:
Instance metadata (via 169.254.169.254) dynamically provides the current MAC address. User data can query it at boot. MAC addresses unique per instance—A/B/C fail in Auto Scaling (dynamic instances).
Question 6: Which statements about user data are correct? (Select TWO)
Options:
- A. By default, user data runs only once when an instance is launched
- B. By default, user data runs after every instance restart
- C. The cloud architect must remove the configuration file to rerun the user data scripts
- D. User data cannot be run while the instance is stopped
- E. The cloud architect must run a specific command to rerun user data
Correct Answers: A, C
Very Detailed Explanation:
User data executes on first launch only (cloud-init). To rerun, delete the persistence file. B false—no auto-rerun on restart. D irrelevant (runs on launch). E not standard method.
Question 7: A transactional workload on an Amazon EC2 instance performs a high amount of frequent read and write operations. Which Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS) volume type is best?
Options:
- A. General purpose SSD
- B. Provisioned IOPS SSD
- C. Throughput optimized HDD
- D. Cold HDD
Correct Answer: B
Very Detailed Explanation:
Provisioned IOPS SSD (io1/io2) ensures consistent high IOPS for transactional databases. A balanced but lower performance. C sequential throughput (big data). D infrequent access, low cost/performance.
Question 8: Which advantages does Amazon Elastic File System (EFS) provide compared to creating an NFS share on an EBS-backed instance? (Select TWO)
Options:
- A. File locking
- B. High availability
- C. Automatically scaling
- D. Strong consistency
- E. No need for backups
Correct Answers: B, C
Very Detailed Explanation:
EFS is multi-AZ highly available and auto-scales storage. Self-managed NFS on EC2 lacks these (single-instance, manual scaling). A/D standard NFS features. E false—backups still required.
Question 9: Which feature does Amazon FSx for Windows File Server provide?
Options:
- A. Back up solution for on-premises Windows servers
- B. Fully managed Windows file servers
- C. Amazon management agent for Windows File Server
- D. Microsoft Active Directory server for Windows File Server
Correct Answer: B
Very Detailed Explanation:
FSx provides native Windows file shares (SMB, AD integration) fully managed. A partial (supports backups but full system). C no agents. D integrates with AD, doesn’t provide it.
Question 10: Which descriptions of Amazon EC2 pricing options are correct? (Select TWO)
Options:
- A. Spot Instances offer spare compute capacity at discounted prices and can be interrupted
- B. With On-Demand Instances, customers pay per usage time; no long-term commitments required
- C. Reserved Instances are physical servers reserved exclusively
- D. Dedicated Hosts are servers dedicated to one purpose like a firewall
- E. Savings Plans are budgeting tools
Correct Answers: A, B
Very Detailed Explanation:
Spot deep discounts, interruptible. On-Demand flexible pay-as-you-go. C wrong—Reserved are capacity reservations/pricing. D Dedicated Hosts isolated hardware (compliance). E Savings Plans commitment discounts.
Final Thoughts
These are the exact questions from Module 5—now fully aligned! EC2 is foundational for custom compute needs.
Practice launching instances and experimenting with AMIs/user data. Let me know if you want Module 6 (Adding a Database Layer) next!
Happy computing! 💻☁️
Er. Bikash Subedi
January 17, 2026
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