Exam CCAR-F Topic 1 Question 12 Discussion

Actual exam question for Anthropic's CCAR-F exam
Question #: 12
Topic #: 1
You have configured the system so that all four subagents have access to the complete set of 18 tools. During testing, agents frequently call tools outside their specialization-the synthesis agent attempts web searches, and the report generator tries to analyze documents. What is the primary cause of this poor tool-selection behavior?

Suggested Answer: A Vote an answer

Option A identifies the direct configuration contradiction. Each system prompt defines a specialized responsibility, but the corresponding tool allowlist presents unrelated actions as available capabilities. The synthesis agent may therefore interpret web searching as an acceptable way to fill evidence gaps, while the report generator may perform document analysis instead of limiting itself to report production.
Anthropic's subagent documentation defines subagents as focused workers with their own prompts and specific tool access. Its tool-definition guidance also recommends reducing selection ambiguity by presenting clear, relevant tools. The appropriate correction is least-capability configuration: expose search tools to the search agent, document tools to the analyzer, synthesis utilities to the synthesizer, and formatting or output tools to the report generator.
Option B may affect token efficiency but does not explain the role-specific misuse pattern. Option C concerns delegation, whereas the improper calls occur after successful delegation. Option D is tempting, but Anthropic does not define four or five tools as a universal reliability threshold; 18 tools alone does not prove threshold failure. The decisive defect is misalignment between declared roles and permitted capabilities.

by zakmarli at Aug 14, 2026, 04:21 AM

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zakmarli
2026-08-14 04:22:25
Selected Answer: D
The primary issue is tool overload. Each subagent should have access only to the tools needed for its specialized role. Claude Agent SDK subagents support tool restrictions, specifically so a subagent can be limited to appropriate tools and avoid unintended actions, such as a documentation reviewer accidentally modifying files or a synthesis agent performing searches.

✅ Correct Answer: D. Choosing from 18 tools instead of four or five relevant tools increases decision complexity beyond reliable selection thresholds.
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zakmarli
2026-08-14 04:21:48
The primary issue is tool overload. Each subagent should have access only to the tools needed for its specialized role. Claude Agent SDK subagents support tool restrictions, specifically so a subagent can be limited to appropriate tools and avoid unintended actions, such as a documentation reviewer accidentally modifying files or a synthesis agent performing searches.

✅ Correct Answer: D. Choosing from 18 tools instead of four or five relevant tools increases decision complexity beyond reliable selection thresholds.
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