This CKA practice question tests your understanding of cluster architecture, installation and configuration. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.
Your cluster has three control plane nodes. You suspect the etcd cluster has a leader election issue. Which TWO commands can help diagnose the etcd cluster health and membership? (Choose TWO.)
etcdctl cluster-status
Why wrong: There is no 'cluster-status' subcommand in etcdctl.
etcdctl version
Why wrong: Shows version, not health or membership.
etcdctl endpoint health --cluster
Checks health of all endpoints in the cluster.
etcdctl snapshot save snapshot.db
Why wrong: Saves a snapshot, does not diagnose health.
etcdctl member list
Lists members of the etcd cluster.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
etcdctl endpoint health --cluster
Option C is correct because `etcdctl endpoint health --cluster` queries the health status of all etcd endpoints in the cluster, which directly reveals if any node is unreachable or unhealthy—a common symptom of leader election issues. Option E is correct because `etcdctl member list` displays the current cluster membership, including each member's ID, name, peer URLs, and client URLs, allowing you to verify that all expected control plane nodes are properly joined and that no split-brain or quorum loss has occurred.
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.
etcdctl cluster-status
Why it's wrong here
There is no 'cluster-status' subcommand in etcdctl.
etcdctl version
Why it's wrong here
Shows version, not health or membership.
etcdctl endpoint health --cluster
Why this is correct
Checks health of all endpoints in the cluster.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
etcdctl snapshot save snapshot.db
Why it's wrong here
Saves a snapshot, does not diagnose health.
etcdctl member list
Why this is correct
Lists members of the etcd cluster.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates may confuse `etcdctl cluster-status` (which does not exist) with the valid `etcdctl endpoint status` command, or they may think snapshot commands are diagnostic tools rather than backup utilities.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
There is no 'cluster-status' subcommand in etcdctl.
Detailed technical explanation
etcd uses the Raft consensus algorithm, which requires a majority of members (quorum) to elect a leader and commit writes. The `endpoint health --cluster` command sends gRPC health checks to each member and reports their status, while `member list` retrieves the cluster's membership from the Raft metadata; together they can identify if a member has been removed, is unreachable, or has fallen out of sync—conditions that directly impact leader election. In a three-node cluster, losing one node still allows quorum (2 out of 3), but if two nodes become unhealthy, the cluster loses quorum and cannot elect a leader, causing writes to fail.
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: etcdctl endpoint health --cluster — Option C is correct because `etcdctl endpoint health --cluster` queries the health status of all etcd endpoints in the cluster, which directly reveals if any node is unreachable or unhealthy—a common symptom of leader election issues. Option E is correct because `etcdctl member list` displays the current cluster membership, including each member's ID, name, peer URLs, and client URLs, allowing you to verify that all expected control plane nodes are properly joined and that no split-brain or quorum loss has occurred.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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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