- A
The rollout is complete; the status message is misleading.
Why wrong: The status clearly indicates it's still waiting.
- B
The new pods are unable to start due to resource constraints on nodes.
If new pods fail to become Ready, the rollout cannot proceed because maxUnavailable prevents scaling down old pods beyond 25%.
- C
The deployment has a missing selector label.
Why wrong: A missing selector would cause the deployment to not manage pods, but the status shows some new replicas are updated, so selector is likely correct.
- D
The old ReplicaSet is not scaling down because the new ReplicaSet has not met the minReadySeconds.
Why wrong: The rollout is stuck because new pods are not becoming Ready, not because of minReadySeconds alone; minReadySeconds is typically not the root cause in a stuck rollout.
CKA Workloads and Scheduling Practice Question
This CKA practice question tests your understanding of workloads and scheduling. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A Deployment has been updated with a new image, but the rollout is stuck. You run 'kubectl rollout status deployment/my-app' and see 'Waiting for rollout to finish: 2 out of 5 new replicas have been updated...'. The deployment's strategy is RollingUpdate with maxSurge: 25% and maxUnavailable: 25%. What is the most likely cause?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"most likely"Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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
The new pods are unable to start due to resource constraints on nodes.
The rollout status shows that only 2 out of 5 new replicas have been updated, indicating that the new Pods are failing to become Ready. Given the RollingUpdate strategy with maxSurge: 25% and maxUnavailable: 25%, the controller can create up to 1 extra Pod (25% of 5 = 1.25, rounded up) and can terminate up to 1 old Pod at a time. If new Pods cannot start due to resource constraints (e.g., insufficient CPU/memory), they will remain in a Pending or CrashLoopBackOff state, preventing the ReplicaSet from reaching the desired count and stalling the rollout.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The rollout is complete; the status message is misleading.
Why it's wrong here
The status clearly indicates it's still waiting.
- ✓
The new pods are unable to start due to resource constraints on nodes.
Why this is correct
If new pods fail to become Ready, the rollout cannot proceed because maxUnavailable prevents scaling down old pods beyond 25%.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
The deployment has a missing selector label.
Why it's wrong here
A missing selector would cause the deployment to not manage pods, but the status shows some new replicas are updated, so selector is likely correct.
- ✗
The old ReplicaSet is not scaling down because the new ReplicaSet has not met the minReadySeconds.
Why it's wrong here
The rollout is stuck because new pods are not becoming Ready, not because of minReadySeconds alone; minReadySeconds is typically not the root cause in a stuck rollout.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse a stuck rollout with a missing selector or minReadySeconds issue, but the partial progress (2 out of 5) strongly points to Pod startup failures, not configuration mismatches or timing delays.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
A missing selector would cause the deployment to not manage pods, but the status shows some new replicas are updated, so selector is likely correct.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
When a new Pod fails to start due to resource constraints, the kubelet will report a FailedScheduling event with reasons like 'Insufficient cpu' or 'Insufficient memory', and the Pod will remain in Pending state. The Deployment controller uses a rolling update algorithm that respects maxSurge and maxUnavailable, but it cannot proceed if new Pods never reach Ready; it will wait indefinitely unless a progressDeadlineSeconds is set (default 10 minutes), after which the rollout is marked as failed. In real-world scenarios, this often happens when cluster resources are overcommitted or when resource requests/limits are misconfigured.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Workloads and Scheduling — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
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Workloads and Scheduling practice questions
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CKA question test?
Workloads and Scheduling — This question tests Workloads and Scheduling — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The new pods are unable to start due to resource constraints on nodes. — The rollout status shows that only 2 out of 5 new replicas have been updated, indicating that the new Pods are failing to become Ready. Given the RollingUpdate strategy with maxSurge: 25% and maxUnavailable: 25%, the controller can create up to 1 extra Pod (25% of 5 = 1.25, rounded up) and can terminate up to 1 old Pod at a time. If new Pods cannot start due to resource constraints (e.g., insufficient CPU/memory), they will remain in a Pending or CrashLoopBackOff state, preventing the ReplicaSet from reaching the desired count and stalling the rollout.
What should I do if I get this CKA question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
This CKA practice question is part of Courseiva's free CNCF 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 CKA exam.
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