This CKA practice question tests your understanding of workloads and scheduling. 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.
Which command creates a ConfigMap named 'app-config' from a file 'config.properties'?
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.
Option B is correct because `kubectl create configmap app-config --from-file=config.properties` directly reads the file `config.properties` and creates a ConfigMap named `app-config` with a key equal to the filename (i.e., `config.properties`) and the value set to the file's content. The `--from-file` flag without a key specification uses the filename as the key, which is the standard behavior for creating a ConfigMap from a single file.
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.
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse `--from-file` with `--from-literal` or `--from-env-file`, or mistakenly think that `--from-file` requires an explicit key assignment, leading them to choose option A or C, while also forgetting that `kubectl create secret generic` is for Secrets, not ConfigMaps, as in option D.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, `kubectl create configmap --from-file` reads the file and encodes its content as a UTF-8 string in the ConfigMap's `data` field. If the file contains binary data, the `--from-file` flag will still work, but the ConfigMap's `data` field only supports non-binary data; for binary content, you would need to use `--from-file` with a Secret or use `kubectl create configmap` with `--from-env-file` for environment-style files. A real-world scenario is when you have application configuration files (e.g., `application.properties`) that you want to inject into pods as environment variables or volume mounts; using `--from-file` without a custom key is the simplest approach, but if you need multiple files, you can repeat the `--from-file` flag.
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 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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this CKA question in full detail.
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: kubectl create configmap app-config --from-file=config.properties — Option B is correct because `kubectl create configmap app-config --from-file=config.properties` directly reads the file `config.properties` and creates a ConfigMap named `app-config` with a key equal to the filename (i.e., `config.properties`) and the value set to the file's content. The `--from-file` flag without a key specification uses the filename as the key, which is the standard behavior for creating a ConfigMap from a single file.
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: "which command". Tests specific CLI syntax. Recall the exact command and its required context — near-synonyms and partial matches are common distractors.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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