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.
You want to enforce that all pods in a namespace run with the 'restricted' Pod Security Standard (Pod Security Admission). Which label should you set on the namespace?
pod-security.kubernetes.io/warn=restricted
Why wrong: This only generates warnings but does not enforce the policy.
pod-security.kubernetes.io/enforce=baseline
Why wrong: This enforces baseline, not restricted.
pod-security.kubernetes.io/enforce=restricted
This enforces the restricted policy, rejecting pods that violate it.
pod-security.kubernetes.io/audit=restricted
Why wrong: This adds audit annotations but does not enforce.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
pod-security.kubernetes.io/enforce=restricted
Option C is correct because the `pod-security.kubernetes.io/enforce=restricted` label enforces the 'restricted' Pod Security Standard on the namespace, preventing any pod that violates the restricted policy from being created. This label directly activates Pod Security Admission (PSA) enforcement mode, which blocks non-compliant pods at admission time.
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.
pod-security.kubernetes.io/warn=restricted
Why it's wrong here
This only generates warnings but does not enforce the policy.
pod-security.kubernetes.io/enforce=baseline
Why it's wrong here
This enforces baseline, not restricted.
pod-security.kubernetes.io/enforce=restricted
Why this is correct
This enforces the restricted policy, rejecting pods that violate it.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
pod-security.kubernetes.io/audit=restricted
Why it's wrong here
This adds audit annotations but does not enforce.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the three PSA modes (enforce, warn, audit) and select a 'warn' or 'audit' label thinking it blocks non-compliant pods, when only 'enforce' actually prevents pod creation.
Detailed technical explanation
Pod Security Admission (PSA) is a built-in admission controller in Kubernetes 1.23+ that replaced PodSecurityPolicy (PSP). The `enforce` mode uses a validating admission webhook to reject pods that do not meet the specified Pod Security Standard (privileged, baseline, or restricted). The 'restricted' standard enforces the most stringent security controls, such as disallowing `privileged: true`, `hostNetwork`, `hostPID`, and requiring `seccomp` profiles and `runAsNonRoot: true`, making it essential for multi-tenant clusters or compliance requirements like PCI-DSS.
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 Environment, Configuration and Security — This question tests Application Environment, Configuration and Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: pod-security.kubernetes.io/enforce=restricted — Option C is correct because the `pod-security.kubernetes.io/enforce=restricted` label enforces the 'restricted' Pod Security Standard on the namespace, preventing any pod that violates the restricted policy from being created. This label directly activates Pod Security Admission (PSA) enforcement mode, which blocks non-compliant pods at admission time.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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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