PCA Observability Concepts Practice Question
How does the 'stale marker' work in Prometheus?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
It prevents the graph from showing data after the target goes down.
When a target stops responding, Prometheus writes a stale marker to the TSDB so that graphs stop at the last known value rather than showing an infinite line or incorrect data.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
It prevents the graph from showing data after the target goes down.
Why this is correct
This prevents 'trailing' lines on graphs.
- ✗
It restarts the scrape job.
Why it's wrong here
It does not restart jobs.
- ✗
It sends an alert.
Why it's wrong here
Alerting is separate.
- ✗
It deletes the metric data.
Why it's wrong here
Data is preserved.
About these practice questions
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed August 2026 · checked against the official CNCF / Linux Foundation exam blueprint
This PCA practice question is part of Courseiva's free CNCF / Linux Foundation certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the PCA exam.