AWS Fundamentals: Easy Interview Prep Quiz Quiz

Boost your basic understanding of AWS with these easy interview-style questions. This quiz focuses on core AWS concepts, services, pricing models, and best practices to help you prepare for entry-level cloud and AWS interviews.

1. AWS Definition

   Which of the following statements best describes AWS (Amazon Web Services)?

   1. A service that only provides email hosting.
   2. A hardware-only solution for local data centers.
   3. A platform offering a wide range of cloud computing services like computing, storage, and databases.
   4. A social networking platform for professionals.

   Explanation: AWS is a comprehensive platform that offers cloud computing services, including storage and compute power. It is not a hardware-only solution or limited to email hosting. The social networking platform option is referring to something unrelated.

2. Core AWS Components

   Which of the following is NOT a main component category of AWS services?

   1. Networking
   2. Storage
   3. Designing
   4. Compute

   Explanation: AWS core components include Compute, Networking, and Storage among others. 'Designing' is not recognized as a standard AWS service category, while the others refer to major product groups within AWS.

3. Understanding EC2

   What is the primary use of Amazon EC2 in AWS?

   1. Offering managed NoSQL databases for rapid development.
   2. Automating infrastructure deployment using templates.
   3. Hosting virtual servers in the cloud with resizable compute capacity.
   4. Providing a content delivery network for faster file sharing.

   Explanation: Amazon EC2 is primarily used to host and manage virtual servers in the cloud, allowing users to scale compute resources. Content delivery networks relate to CloudFront, managed NoSQL is for DynamoDB, and automating deployment is handled by CloudFormation.

4. AWS Lambda Basics

   Which AWS service automatically runs your code in response to events, without server management?

   1. Amazon RDS
   2. AWS Lambda
   3. Amazon VPC
   4. Amazon S3

   Explanation: AWS Lambda is a serverless option that runs code in response to triggers, eliminating the need for server management. VPC is for networking, S3 is for storage, and RDS is for relational databases.

5. S3 vs EBS

   What is a key difference between Amazon S3 and Amazon EBS storage?

   1. S3 and EBS are both physical hard drives located on-premise.
   2. S3 is object storage accessed over HTTP, while EBS is block storage for EC2 instances.
   3. S3 can only store text files, while EBS only stores images.
   4. S3 is used for real-time analytics, while EBS is used for DNS services.

   Explanation: S3 is ideal for storing objects via HTTP and is used for unstructured data like media files. EBS is block storage attached to EC2 instances. The other options describe incorrect uses or technical constraints not present in AWS.

6. AWS Pricing Model

   Which principle is part of AWS's pricing strategy?

   1. Pay-per-user regardless of usage.
   2. Pay-as-you-go: only pay for what you use.
   3. Monthly subscription with unlimited usage.
   4. One-time lifetime license fee for all services.

   Explanation: AWS pricing is based on pay-as-you-go, allowing you to pay only for services used. Unlimited monthly subscriptions and one-time licenses do not apply to AWS's flexible model. Usage is not billed per user but by service usage.

7. Understanding VPC

   What is the main function of an AWS Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)?

   1. To store backups of user data automatically.
   2. To create an isolated virtual network for AWS resources.
   3. To automate application deployment using templates.
   4. To provide access to a managed messaging queue.

   Explanation: A VPC lets users define an isolated and secure virtual network for resources like EC2. Automated deployment uses different services like CloudFormation, backup storage is linked to S3 or Glacier, and messaging queues are handled elsewhere.

8. RDS vs DynamoDB

   Which AWS service provides fully managed NoSQL databases?

   1. Amazon EC2
   2. Amazon RDS
   3. Amazon VPC
   4. Amazon DynamoDB

   Explanation: DynamoDB offers NoSQL databases that are managed for you by AWS. RDS is for managed relational databases, EC2 provides virtual servers, and VPC is a networking service.

9. Purpose of Availability Zones

   What is the main role of AWS Availability Zones?

   1. Providing faster internet for end users.
   2. Ensuring redundancy and fault tolerance within each region.
   3. Hosting email and chat applications.
   4. Monitoring costs for different projects.

   Explanation: Availability Zones are designed to provide high availability by isolating failures within multiple datacenters in a region. Faster internet and application hosting may use AWS infrastructure but are not the primary purpose of Availability Zones. Cost monitoring is managed by other tools.

10. Securing AWS Data

    Which of these actions helps secure your data in AWS?

    1. Storing files in unencrypted public folders.
    2. Encrypting data using KMS or SSL/TLS.
    3. Disabling all user access controls.
    4. Sharing security credentials widely.

    Explanation: Using encryption technologies like KMS or SSL/TLS protects data in AWS. Storing files in unencrypted or public places, disabling access control, or widely sharing credentials weakens security and should be avoided.