CKA Storage Practice Question
An administrator creates a PersistentVolume with the following YAML:
```yaml apiVersion: v1 kind: PersistentVolume metadata: name: pv-example spec: capacity: storage: 5Gi accessModes: - ReadWriteOnce persistentVolumeReclaimPolicy: Retain hostPath: path: /mnt/data ```
Which of the following is true about this PersistentVolume?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse `ReadWriteOnce` with `ReadWriteMany` or assume that `Retain` means automatic deletion, when in fact `Retain` preserves the PV and its data after PVC release.
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 can be mounted as read-write by only one node at a time.
The PersistentVolume specifies `accessModes: ReadWriteOnce`, which means the volume can be mounted as read-write by only a single node at a time. This is a Kubernetes access mode that restricts the volume to a single consumer (node) for read-write operations, preventing concurrent access from multiple nodes.
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 can be mounted as read-write by only one node at a time.
Why this is correct
The ReadWriteOnce (RWO) access mode restricts volume mounting to a single Kubernetes node for read-write operations. While multiple pods scheduled on that same node can access the volume concurrently, pods on different nodes cannot attach to it simultaneously. This ensures data integrity by preventing multi-node write conflicts on block storage.
- ✗
It can be mounted as read-write by multiple nodes simultaneously.
Why it's wrong here
To allow concurrent read-write access from multiple nodes, the PersistentVolume must be configured with the ReadWriteMany (RWX) access mode. The ReadWriteOnce access mode explicitly prevents this multi-node attachment to safeguard against filesystem corruption. This capability is highly dependent on the underlying storage provider supporting shared file systems like NFS.
- ✗
The PV will be automatically deleted when its PVC is released.
Why it's wrong here
Because the PersistentVolume's reclaim policy is set to Retain, releasing the bound PersistentVolumeClaim will transition the PV to a Released state rather than deleting it. This policy preserves the underlying storage and its data, requiring an administrator to manually clean up and reclaim the resource. Automatic deletion only occurs when the reclaim policy is explicitly set to Delete.
- ✗
The PV supports dynamic provisioning.
Why it's wrong here
Dynamic provisioning occurs automatically when a user requests storage via a PersistentVolumeClaim that references a configured StorageClass. Manually creating a PersistentVolume object represents static provisioning, where the administrator pre-allocates the physical storage and defines the PV resource in the cluster beforehand.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Troubleshooting Storage Persistence
Key term
Volumes
In Kubernetes, a volume is a storage resource that outlives the pod it belongs to, enabling data to persist across container restarts and be shared between containers in the same pod.
Key term
Network Policies
A Kubernetes resource that controls how pods communicate with each other and with other network endpoints, acting as a firewall for pod-to-pod traffic.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.