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.
You run 'kubectl get pods -o wide' and see that a pod's NODE column shows 'node-1'. You want to see more details about that node's resource usage. 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 top pods --all-namespaces
Why wrong: This shows pod resource usage, not node resource usage.
kubectl describe node node-1
Why wrong: This shows detailed information about the node but not real-time resource usage metrics.
kubectl top pod node-1
Why wrong: kubectl top pod expects a pod name, not a node name.
kubectl top node node-1
This shows CPU and memory usage for the specified node.
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 top node node-1
Option D is correct because `kubectl top node node-1` directly displays real-time resource usage (CPU and memory) for the specified node, which is exactly what you need when you want to see more details about a node's resource consumption after identifying the node from `kubectl get pods -o wide`.
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 top pods --all-namespaces
Why it's wrong here
This shows pod resource usage, not node resource usage.
kubectl describe node node-1
Why it's wrong here
This shows detailed information about the node but not real-time resource usage metrics.
kubectl top pod node-1
Why it's wrong here
kubectl top pod expects a pod name, not a node name.
kubectl top node node-1
Why this is correct
This shows CPU and memory usage for the specified node.
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 confuse `kubectl top node` with `kubectl top pod` or `kubectl describe node`, mistakenly thinking that `describe` provides real-time resource usage or that `top pod` can target a node by name.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
This shows pod resource usage, not node resource usage.
Detailed technical explanation
The `kubectl top` command relies on the metrics-server (or a compatible metrics API) running in the cluster, which collects resource usage data from the kubelet's cAdvisor endpoint via the Summary API. In a real-world scenario, if the metrics-server is not deployed, `kubectl top node` will return an error, so candidates should verify that the metrics-server is operational before relying on this command for node resource monitoring.
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 CKAD 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
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
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 top node node-1 — Option D is correct because `kubectl top node node-1` directly displays real-time resource usage (CPU and memory) for the specified node, which is exactly what you need when you want to see more details about a node's resource consumption after identifying the node from `kubectl get pods -o wide`.
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
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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