- A
The pod will be evicted by the kubelet due to namespace quota violation
Why wrong: Incorrect. The namespace quota is not violated because the pod's limit is 1Gi, and the total usage may still be within the quota. Quota is enforced at admission, not at runtime.
- B
The container will continue running because the namespace quota allows up to 2Gi
Why wrong: Incorrect. The namespace quota is a cumulative limit across all pods, not a per-container limit. The container's own limit still applies.
- C
The container will be OOMKilled because it exceeds its own memory limit of 1Gi
Correct. The container's limit is 1Gi. Exceeding that triggers OOMKill.
- D
The pod will be throttled by the kernel to stay within 1Gi
Why wrong: Incorrect. Memory limits are not throttled; exceeding them results in OOMKill.
CKAD Practice Question: Application Environment, Configuration and Security
This CKAD practice question tests your understanding of application environment, configuration and security. 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 running in a namespace with a ResourceQuota that sets 'limits.memory: 2Gi'. The pod's container spec has 'resources.limits.memory: 1Gi' and 'resources.requests.memory: 512Mi'. The pod is in 'Running' state but consumes 1.5Gi of memory. What happens?
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
The container will be OOMKilled because it exceeds its own memory limit of 1Gi
The container has a hard memory limit of 1Gi set in its resources.limits.memory. When the container's memory usage exceeds this limit (1.5Gi > 1Gi), the Linux kernel's OOM killer terminates the container process. The namespace ResourceQuota of 2Gi is not violated because the pod's limit (1Gi) is within the quota, so the kubelet does not evict the pod.
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.
- ✗
The pod will be evicted by the kubelet due to namespace quota violation
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. The namespace quota is not violated because the pod's limit is 1Gi, and the total usage may still be within the quota. Quota is enforced at admission, not at runtime.
- ✗
The container will continue running because the namespace quota allows up to 2Gi
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. The namespace quota is a cumulative limit across all pods, not a per-container limit. The container's own limit still applies.
- ✓
The container will be OOMKilled because it exceeds its own memory limit of 1Gi
Why this is correct
Correct. The container's limit is 1Gi. Exceeding that triggers OOMKill.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
The pod will be throttled by the kernel to stay within 1Gi
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Memory limits are not throttled; exceeding them results in OOMKill.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse namespace-level ResourceQuota enforcement with container-level memory limit enforcement, assuming the quota's higher value allows the container to exceed its own limit.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Kubernetes sets cgroup memory limits via the container runtime (e.g., containerd or CRI-O), which configures the cgroup's memory.max (or memory.limit_in_bytes) to the value of resources.limits.memory. When the container's memory usage reaches this limit, the kernel's OOM killer selects and terminates the offending process. A real-world scenario is a memory leak in an application that gradually exceeds its limit, causing repeated OOM kills and container restarts, which can be diagnosed via 'kubectl describe pod' showing 'OOMKilled' in the last state.
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 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
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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CKAD question test?
Application Environment, Configuration and Security — This question tests Application Environment, Configuration and Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The container will be OOMKilled because it exceeds its own memory limit of 1Gi — The container has a hard memory limit of 1Gi set in its resources.limits.memory. When the container's memory usage exceeds this limit (1.5Gi > 1Gi), the Linux kernel's OOM killer terminates the container process. The namespace ResourceQuota of 2Gi is not violated because the pod's limit (1Gi) is within the quota, so the kubelet does not evict the pod.
What should I do if I get this CKAD question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
This CKAD 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 CKAD exam.
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