This CKA practice question tests your understanding of troubleshooting. 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.
A pod is in CrashLoopBackOff state. Which command should you use to see the logs of the previous instance?
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 logs <pod-name>
Why wrong: Shows current container logs, not previous.
kubectl describe pod <pod-name>
Why wrong: Describes pod status but does not show logs.
kubectl logs --previous <pod-name>
Why wrong: Flag is -p, not --previous.
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 logs -p <pod-name>
When a pod is in CrashLoopBackOff state, the current container instance has crashed and Kubernetes is restarting it. The `-p` flag (or `--previous`) in `kubectl logs` retrieves logs from the previous terminated container instance, which contains the crash output. Option B is correct because `kubectl logs -p <pod-name>` is the exact syntax to view logs of the previous instance.
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 logs <pod-name>
Why it's wrong here
Shows current container logs, not previous.
kubectl describe pod <pod-name>
Why it's wrong here
Describes pod status but does not show logs.
kubectl logs --previous <pod-name>
Why it's wrong here
Flag is -p, not --previous.
Option-by-option analysis
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The CKA exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
Why this is wrong here
Shows current container logs, not previous.
Why this is wrong here
Describes pod status but does not show logs.
Why this is wrong here
Flag is -p, not --previous.
Analysis generated from the official CKAblueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates confuse `kubectl logs` with `kubectl describe pod` for viewing crash logs, or they forget the `-p` flag and assume the current logs will show the crash, when in fact the crash output is only in the previous instance's logs.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
Shows current container logs, not previous.
Detailed technical explanation
The `-p` flag reads logs from the previous terminated container instance stored in the kubelet's log rotation directory (typically `/var/log/pods/`). This is critical when a container crashes immediately after startup, as the current instance's logs may only contain the restart loop, while the previous instance's logs capture the actual error (e.g., segfault, missing config file). In multi-container pods, you must also specify the container name with `-c`.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Troubleshooting — This question tests Troubleshooting — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: kubectl logs -p <pod-name> — When a pod is in CrashLoopBackOff state, the current container instance has crashed and Kubernetes is restarting it. The `-p` flag (or `--previous`) in `kubectl logs` retrieves logs from the previous terminated container instance, which contains the crash output. Option B is correct because `kubectl logs -p <pod-name>` is the exact syntax to view logs of the previous instance.
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 11, 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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