CKAD Practice Question: Application Environment, Configuration and Security
This CKAD practice question tests your understanding of application environment, configuration and security. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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.
Which of the following correctly describes the purpose of a PodSecurityPolicy (PSP) in Kubernetes? (Note: PSP is deprecated in v1.21+ and removed in v1.25; Pod Security Admission is the replacement.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
PSP is deprecated; its replacement is Pod Security Admission (PSA)
Option A is correct because PodSecurityPolicy (PSP) was indeed deprecated in Kubernetes v1.21 and removed in v1.25, with Pod Security Admission (PSA) as its official replacement. PSA uses built-in Pod Security Standards (baseline, restricted, privileged) enforced via admission controllers and labels, eliminating the need for a separate admission webhook or CRD-based policy object.
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.
✓
PSP is deprecated; its replacement is Pod Security Admission (PSA)
Why this is correct
PSP is deprecated since Kubernetes v1.21 and removed in v1.25. Pod Security Admission is the successor.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
PSP is applied automatically to all pods in a cluster without configuration
Why it's wrong here
PSP required explicit RBAC and admission controller configuration.
✗
PSP is a namespace-scoped resource that defines default security for pods
Why it's wrong here
PSP was a cluster-level resource, not namespace-scoped.
✗
PSP cannot be used to control container security contexts
Why it's wrong here
PSP was specifically designed to control security contexts.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may remember PSP as a namespace-scoped resource (Option C) because it is often associated with namespaces in documentation, but it is actually cluster-scoped, and the deprecation timeline (Option A) is a frequent distractor for those who haven't kept up with Kubernetes version changes.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, PSP validation occurs during pod creation via the `PodSecurityPolicy` admission plugin, which checks the pod's security context against the PSPs the pod's service account is authorized to `use`. A common subtlety is that PSPs are evaluated in an allow-by-default manner: if no PSP matches, the pod is rejected. In real-world scenarios, this often caused confusion when pods failed to start due to missing RBAC bindings, leading to silent failures that were hard to debug without examining admission controller logs.
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this CKAD question in full detail.
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: PSP is deprecated; its replacement is Pod Security Admission (PSA) — Option A is correct because PodSecurityPolicy (PSP) was indeed deprecated in Kubernetes v1.21 and removed in v1.25, with Pod Security Admission (PSA) as its official replacement. PSA uses built-in Pod Security Standards (baseline, restricted, privileged) enforced via admission controllers and labels, eliminating the need for a separate admission webhook or CRD-based policy object.
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
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 →
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.
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.
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.