KCNA Kubernetes Fundamentals Practice Question
An administrator runs 'kubectl get pods' and sees that a pod is in 'Pending' state. 'kubectl describe pod' shows the event: '0/4 nodes are available: 1 node had taints that the pod didn't tolerate, 3 nodes had insufficient memory'. What is the most likely issue?
⚠ Common exam trap
The KCNA exam often tests the distinction between taint/toleration and resource constraints — candidates mistakenly think the taint is the primary issue, but the event clearly shows only one node is tainted while three have insufficient memory, making resource exhaustion the dominant cause.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The pod's resource requests exceed available memory on three nodes.
The scheduler event explicitly states '3 nodes had insufficient memory', which directly indicates that the pod's resource requests (specifically memory) exceed the available allocatable memory on those three nodes. The fourth node is unavailable due to taints, leaving zero schedulable nodes, hence the 'Pending' state.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The node with the taint has a toleration mismatch.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect; while true, the primary issue is insufficient memory on other nodes.
- ✗
The pod's image pull is failing.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect; image pull failures show ImagePullBackOff, not Pending with scheduling events.
- ✓
The pod's resource requests exceed available memory on three nodes.
Why this is correct
Correct; insufficient memory prevents scheduling.
- ✗
The pod was evicted due to resource pressure.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect; eviction would result in 'Evicted' status, not Pending.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This KCNA 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 KCNA exam.