Match each volume type to its use case.
Drag a concept onto its matching description — or click a concept then click the description.
Temporary storage that shares a pod's lifecycle
Mounts a file or directory from the host node
Requests durable storage from a PersistentVolume
Inject configuration data as files or env vars
Inject sensitive data as files or env vars
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
emptyDir: Provides temporary storage that is created empty and persists for the lifetime of the pod.
The correct matches are: emptyDir - temporary storage, hostPath - host node directory, PVC - persistent storage, ConfigMap - configuration data. Common confusions involve mixing hostPath and PVC, or emptyDir with hostPath.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
emptyDir: Provides temporary storage that is created empty and persists for the lifetime of the pod.
Why this is correct
emptyDir is a temporary volume that shares the pod's lifecycle.
hostPath: Mounts a file or directory from the host node's filesystem.
Why this is correct
hostPath allows a pod to access the host's filesystem.
persistentVolumeClaim: Requests persistent storage that can be used by a pod and survives pod restarts.
Why this is correct
PersistentVolumeClaim provides durable storage independent of pod lifecycle.
configMap: Injects configuration data as files or environment variables.
Why this is correct
ConfigMap is used to supply non-sensitive configuration to pods.
emptyDir: Mounts a file or directory from the host node's filesystem.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect — this describes hostPath, not emptyDir.
hostPath: Requests persistent storage that survives pod restarts.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect — this describes PersistentVolumeClaim, not hostPath.
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About these practice questions
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.