This CKAD practice question tests your understanding of application observability and maintenance. 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 named 'db-pod' is running but not responding as expected. You want to check its logs from the previous instantiation (after a crash). Which command should you use?
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 exec db-pod -- cat /var/log/app.log
Why wrong: This runs a command inside the container but does not retrieve previous logs.
kubectl logs -f db-pod
Why wrong: This streams current logs, not previous logs.
kubectl describe pod db-pod
Why wrong: This shows pod metadata and events, but not previous logs.
kubectl logs db-pod --previous
This command shows the logs from the previous (crashed) container instance.
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 db-pod --previous
Option D is correct because the `--previous` flag in `kubectl logs` retrieves logs from the previous instantiation of a container in a pod that has crashed or restarted. This allows you to inspect the logs from the terminated container before the current running instance, which is essential for debugging why the pod is not responding as expected after a crash.
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 exec db-pod -- cat /var/log/app.log
Why it's wrong here
This runs a command inside the container but does not retrieve previous logs.
kubectl logs -f db-pod
Why it's wrong here
This streams current logs, not previous logs.
kubectl describe pod db-pod
Why it's wrong here
This shows pod metadata and events, but not previous logs.
kubectl logs db-pod --previous
Why this is correct
This command shows the logs from the previous (crashed) container instance.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "which command" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse `kubectl logs` with `kubectl describe` or assume that `kubectl exec` into the running container can access logs from a previous crash, but the `--previous` flag is the only way to retrieve logs from a terminated container instance.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
This runs a command inside the container but does not retrieve previous logs.
Detailed technical explanation
Kubernetes stores logs from terminated containers in the kubelet's log directory (typically `/var/log/pods/`), and the `--previous` flag instructs the kubelet to fetch the log file from the previous container instance, which is preserved after a restart. This is particularly useful when a container has a crash loop back-off, as the current container may have no useful logs, while the previous one contains the crash details. The flag works with both single-container and multi-container pods, and you can specify a container name with `-c` if needed.
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
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FAQ
Application Observability and Maintenance — This question tests Application Observability and Maintenance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: kubectl logs db-pod --previous — Option D is correct because the `--previous` flag in `kubectl logs` retrieves logs from the previous instantiation of a container in a pod that has crashed or restarted. This allows you to inspect the logs from the terminated container before the current running instance, which is essential for debugging why the pod is not responding as expected after a crash.
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 25, 2026
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