Architecting on AWS Certification Blueprint Reading & Symbols 3 β Questions and Answers
Question 1: In AWS architecture diagrams, which symbol typically represents an AWS Lambda function?
- A virtual machine icon with a CPU chip
- A Greek lambda (Ξ») symbol or stylized function icon (Correct answer)
- A container box with a whale logo
- A cloud icon with gear wheels
Correct answer: A Greek lambda (Ξ») symbol or stylized function icon
Lambda functions are represented by the AWS Lambda service icon, which features a Greek lambda symbol, reflecting its serverless function execution.
Question 2: When an AWS diagram shows an EC2 instance icon inside a box labeled 'ASG', what architecture pattern does this depict?
- A dedicated EC2 host with reserved capacity
- EC2 instances managed by an Auto Scaling Group for elasticity (Correct answer)
- An EC2 instance inside a container orchestration cluster
- A Spot Instance pool configuration
Correct answer: EC2 instances managed by an Auto Scaling Group for elasticity
ASG stands for Auto Scaling Group; EC2 icons within an ASG box indicate instances that are automatically scaled based on demand.
Question 3: In a multi-tier AWS architecture blueprint, a shield or lock icon placed on a subnet label most likely represents what?
- A paid, premium-tier subnet
- A subnet with enhanced AWS Shield DDoS protection or restricted access (Correct answer)
- A backup subnet for disaster recovery
- A subnet encrypted with AWS KMS
Correct answer: A subnet with enhanced AWS Shield DDoS protection or restricted access
Shield or lock icons on subnets in diagrams commonly indicate security boundaries, restricted access, or DDoS protection via AWS Shield.
Question 4: What does a cylinder shape with horizontal lines represent in a standard AWS architecture diagram?
- An S3 bucket
- A relational or NoSQL database instance (Correct answer)
- An EC2 EBS volume
- An Elastic Load Balancer
Correct answer: A relational or NoSQL database instance
Cylinders are the universal symbol for databases; in AWS diagrams they represent RDS, DynamoDB, or other database services.
Question 5: In an AWS architecture diagram, an icon resembling a stack of papers or files most likely represents which service?
- AWS CloudFormation template
- Amazon S3 bucket (Correct answer)
- Amazon EBS snapshot
- AWS Glue data catalog
Correct answer: Amazon S3 bucket
S3 buckets are often depicted with a bucket or stacked-documents icon, representing object storage with multiple files.
Question 6: When reviewing an AWS reference architecture, a hexagonal icon with a lightning bolt symbol most commonly represents which service?
- Amazon SNS notification service
- AWS Step Functions state machine
- Amazon EventBridge event bus
- Amazon Kinesis data stream (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Amazon Kinesis data stream
Kinesis is depicted with a streaming/lightning bolt icon to represent its real-time data streaming capabilities.
Question 7: In an AWS multi-region architecture diagram, a dashed line connecting two identical stacks in different regions typically represents what?
- A Direct Connect private circuit
- Cross-region replication or disaster recovery failover linkage (Correct answer)
- A content delivery network path
- An AWS Organizations SCP boundary
Correct answer: Cross-region replication or disaster recovery failover linkage
Dashed lines between identical stacks in separate regions conventionally depict cross-region replication or active-passive DR failover relationships.
Architecting on AWS Certification Blueprint Reading & Symbols 3
In AWS architecture diagrams, which symbol typically represents an AWS Lambda function?