This CKA practice question tests your understanding of cluster architecture, installation and configuration. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
To make a node unschedulable without evicting existing pods, which command should be used?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "which command"
Why it matters: Tests specific CLI syntax. Recall the exact command and its required context — near-synonyms and partial matches are common distractors.
kubectl cordon node01
Cordon marks the node as unschedulable but does not evict pods.
kubectl taint node01 key=value:NoSchedule
Why wrong: Taint can prevent new pods but does not affect existing pods without tolerations; however, it is not the standard way to cordon.
kubectl drain node01
Why wrong: Drain evicts pods.
kubectl uncordon node01
Why wrong: Uncordon makes the node schedulable.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
kubectl cordon node01
Option A is correct because `kubectl cordon` marks a node as unschedulable, preventing new pods from being scheduled onto it while leaving existing pods running. This is the precise command for the task described, as it modifies the node's `spec.unschedulable` field to `true` without affecting running workloads.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
kubectl cordon node01
Why this is correct
Cordon marks the node as unschedulable but does not evict pods.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "which command" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
kubectl taint node01 key=value:NoSchedule
Why it's wrong here
Taint can prevent new pods but does not affect existing pods without tolerations; however, it is not the standard way to cordon.
kubectl drain node01
Why it's wrong here
Drain evicts pods.
kubectl uncordon node01
Why it's wrong here
Uncordon makes the node schedulable.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates confuse taints (which control pod placement based on tolerations) with cordoning (which globally blocks all scheduling), or they mistakenly choose `drain` which evicts pods, missing the explicit 'without evicting existing pods' constraint.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, `kubectl cordon` sets the `spec.unschedulable` field in the Node object to `true`, which the kube-scheduler checks via the node's `.spec.unschedulable` attribute during pod scheduling decisions. This is a lightweight operation that does not involve pod eviction or taint-based mechanisms, making it ideal for maintenance scenarios where you want to stop new workloads without disrupting existing ones, such as during a rolling kernel update.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A practitioner preparing for the CKA exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
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FAQ
Cluster Architecture, Installation and Configuration — This question tests Cluster Architecture, Installation and Configuration — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: kubectl cordon node01 — Option A is correct because `kubectl cordon` marks a node as unschedulable, preventing new pods from being scheduled onto it while leaving existing pods running. This is the precise command for the task described, as it modifies the node's `spec.unschedulable` field to `true` without affecting running workloads.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "which command". Tests specific CLI syntax. Recall the exact command and its required context — near-synonyms and partial matches are common distractors.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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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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