Claude Certified Associate – Foundations free question 10 / 10 · Domain 7: Troubleshooting and Optimization
A prompt said "If in doubt, always use the tool." With recent models, the tool is now used even in situations that do not need it. Which revision does the official documentation recommend?
- Limit the number of available tools to one so the tool is not overused
- Delete the tool descriptions and leave it to the model's judgment
- Replace it with a targeted instruction such as "Use the tool when it would help you understand the situation better"
- Rewrite it as "If in doubt, use the tool" with even stronger wording
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: C
Why this is correct
For a model that has become more thorough than before, the documentation recommends replacing blanket default instructions ("always use the tool") with more targeted ones ("use the tool when it would enhance your understanding"). It also recommends removing earlier over-prompting, because tools that used to be under-triggered are now used appropriately, so "if in doubt, use it" now leads to overuse. If the model is still too eager, lower the effort setting.
Why the other options are wrong
"Rewrite it as "If in doubt, use the tool" with even stronger wording" … Emphasis makes overuse worse. The documentation recommends removing over-prompting.
"Delete the tool descriptions and leave it to the model's judgment" … Tool descriptions are the cue for choosing the right tool. What the documentation recommends is replacing a blanket instruction with a targeted one.
"Limit the number of available tools to one so the tool is not overused" … Reducing to one tool is extreme and gives up needed capability. The documentation's fix is to rewrite the instruction and, if needed, adjust the effort setting.
Key point
When a model is upgraded, old compensations can backfire. When carrying a prompt over, review the strong instructions that were added as compensation, and do it with evaluations.