AnthropicAgentic Architecture and Orchestration

Architecture & Workflow — CCAR-F Practice Question

A representative Claude Certified Architect - Foundations (CCAR-F) exam question on Architecture & Workflow. Work through it below, then read why each option is right or wrong.

Short answer

The correct answer is D. A deterministic state machine that uses Claude for ambiguous extraction and explanation while code enforces transitions and approval.

The process has known stages and high-impact transitions. Deterministic orchestration creates auditability while reserving model judgment for the genuinely ambiguous steps.

The Question

A claims process has a fixed sequence and each transition must be auditable: intake, extraction, rule validation, human approval, and payment. Which architecture best fits?

AA swarm of agents that vote on payment
BA prompt that asks Claude to remember every policy
CA single autonomous agent with unrestricted tools
DA deterministic state machine that uses Claude for ambiguous extraction and explanation while code enforces transitions and approvalCorrect

Why D is correct

The process has known stages and high-impact transitions. Deterministic orchestration creates auditability while reserving model judgment for the genuinely ambiguous steps.

Why the other options are wrong

Option A: A swarm of agents that vote on payment

Option A does not satisfy the requirement in the scenario. Review the explanation above: the correct choice (D) is the only one that fully meets every constraint stated in the question.

Option B: A prompt that asks Claude to remember every policy

Option B does not satisfy the requirement in the scenario. Review the explanation above: the correct choice (D) is the only one that fully meets every constraint stated in the question.

Option C: A single autonomous agent with unrestricted tools

Option C does not satisfy the requirement in the scenario. Review the explanation above: the correct choice (D) is the only one that fully meets every constraint stated in the question.

Key idea: Architecture & Workflow

The process has known stages and high-impact transitions. Deterministic orchestration creates auditability while reserving model judgment for the genuinely ambiguous steps. On the CCAR-F exam, questions in the "Agentic Architecture and Orchestration" domain test whether you can map a scenario's constraints to the right choice. Read the requirement carefully, eliminate options that violate any single constraint, and pick the one that satisfies all of them with the least operational overhead.

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