- A
Add a taint to nodes that have low resources and add tolerations only to 'payment-processor' pods
Why wrong: Taints and tolerations can prevent certain pods from being scheduled, but they do not prevent eviction of already running pods.
- B
Increase the resource requests for 'payment-processor' pods to guarantee resources
Why wrong: Increasing requests does not prevent eviction; it only makes scheduling stricter. Pods can still be evicted if node resources are exhausted.
- C
Create a PriorityClass with a high value and assign it to the 'payment-processor' Deployment
High priority ensures that 'payment-processor' pods are scheduled before lower priority pods and can preempt them if necessary.
- D
Use node affinity to ensure 'payment-processor' pods run on dedicated nodes
Why wrong: Node affinity does not prevent eviction; it only influences initial scheduling.
CKA Workloads & Scheduling Practice Question
This CKA practice question tests your understanding of workloads & 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.
You are managing a Kubernetes cluster that hosts a microservices application. One of the services, 'payment-processor', is critical and must always be available. It has a Deployment with 3 replicas, each requesting 1 CPU and 2Gi memory. Recently, the team added a new service 'data-analyzer' that runs as a DaemonSet on all nodes, consuming significant CPU and memory. After the addition, you notice that 'payment-processor' pods are occasionally being evicted, and new pods are slow to be scheduled. You check node resource usage and find that some nodes are overcommitted. You want to ensure that 'payment-processor' pods are never evicted and are scheduled before less critical workloads. Which action should you take?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"always"Why it matters: Absolute qualifier. An answer using 'always' is only correct if there are genuinely no exceptions — absolute statements are often wrong in networking.
Clue:
"never"Why it matters: Absolute qualifier. True only if the statement has zero exceptions — be cautious of options that seem obvious but break down in edge cases.
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
Create a PriorityClass with a high value and assign it to the 'payment-processor' Deployment
PriorityClass with a high value ensures that 'payment-processor' pods are considered higher priority than other pods during scheduling and eviction. When nodes are overcommitted, the Kubernetes scheduler will preempt lower-priority pods to make room for higher-priority pods, and the kubelet will evict lower-priority pods first when resources are scarce. This directly addresses the requirement that 'payment-processor' pods are never evicted and are scheduled before less critical workloads.
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.
- ✗
Add a taint to nodes that have low resources and add tolerations only to 'payment-processor' pods
Why it's wrong here
Taints and tolerations can prevent certain pods from being scheduled, but they do not prevent eviction of already running pods.
- ✗
Increase the resource requests for 'payment-processor' pods to guarantee resources
Why it's wrong here
Increasing requests does not prevent eviction; it only makes scheduling stricter. Pods can still be evicted if node resources are exhausted.
- ✓
Create a PriorityClass with a high value and assign it to the 'payment-processor' Deployment
Why this is correct
High priority ensures that 'payment-processor' pods are scheduled before lower priority pods and can preempt them if necessary.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "always", "never" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use node affinity to ensure 'payment-processor' pods run on dedicated nodes
Why it's wrong here
Node affinity does not prevent eviction; it only influences initial scheduling.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse taints/tolerations or node affinity with priority and preemption, but those features only affect scheduling placement, not eviction ordering or preemption behavior.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
PriorityClass is a non-namespaced resource that assigns an integer priority value (higher is more important). When the kubelet needs to evict pods due to resource pressure, it evicts pods with the lowest priority first, and the scheduler can preempt (kill) lower-priority pods to schedule higher-priority ones. The default priority for pods without a PriorityClass is 0, so setting a high value (e.g., 1000000) ensures 'payment-processor' pods are treated as critical. This mechanism is defined in the Kubernetes scheduler and kubelet eviction logic, and it works across all nodes in the cluster.
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.
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 & Scheduling — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Workloads & Scheduling practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All CKA questions
1,005 questions across all exam domains
- →
Certified Kubernetes Administrator CKA study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
CKA practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related CKA practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Cluster Architecture, Installation and Configuration practice questions
Practise CKA questions linked to Cluster Architecture, Installation and Configuration.
Services and Networking practice questions
Practise CKA questions linked to Services and Networking.
Workloads and Scheduling practice questions
Practise CKA questions linked to Workloads and Scheduling.
Storage practice questions
Practise CKA questions linked to Storage.
Troubleshooting practice questions
Practise CKA questions linked to Troubleshooting.
Cluster Architecture, Installation & Configuration practice questions
Practise CKA questions linked to Cluster Architecture, Installation & Configuration.
Workloads & Scheduling practice questions
Practise CKA questions linked to Workloads & Scheduling.
Services & Networking practice questions
Practise CKA questions linked to Services & Networking.
CKA fundamentals practice questions
Practise CKA questions linked to CKA fundamentals.
CKA scenario practice questions
Practise CKA questions linked to CKA scenario.
CKA troubleshooting practice questions
Practise CKA questions linked to CKA troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Start a free CKA practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CKA question test?
Workloads & Scheduling — This question tests Workloads & Scheduling — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create a PriorityClass with a high value and assign it to the 'payment-processor' Deployment — PriorityClass with a high value ensures that 'payment-processor' pods are considered higher priority than other pods during scheduling and eviction. When nodes are overcommitted, the Kubernetes scheduler will preempt lower-priority pods to make room for higher-priority pods, and the kubelet will evict lower-priority pods first when resources are scarce. This directly addresses the requirement that 'payment-processor' pods are never evicted and are scheduled before less critical workloads.
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: "always", "never". Absolute qualifier. An answer using 'always' is only correct if there are genuinely no exceptions — absolute statements are often wrong in networking.
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 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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.