KCNA Kubernetes Fundamentals Practice Question
Which TWO of the following are responsibilities of the kube-controller-manager? (Select 2)
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse the kube-controller-manager with the kube-scheduler or kube-proxy, because all three are control plane components that manage different aspects of cluster operations, but only the controller-manager handles state regulation and failure detection.
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
✓
Ensuring the desired number of pod replicas are running
The kube-controller-manager is responsible for running controller processes that regulate the state of the cluster. Option A is correct because the ReplicaSet controller, which runs inside the kube-controller-manager, continuously monitors the number of running pods and ensures it matches the desired replica count defined in the ReplicaSet or Deployment object. If a pod fails or is deleted, the controller creates a replacement to maintain the desired 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.
- ✓
Ensuring the desired number of pod replicas are running
Why this is correct
The Replication Controller ensures the correct replica count.
- ✗
Implementing service networking rules
Why it's wrong here
This is done by kube-proxy.
- ✗
Storing the cluster state
Why it's wrong here
This is done by etcd.
- ✓
Detecting node failures and reacting
Why this is correct
The Node Controller in the controller manager handles node failures.
- ✗
Scheduling pods onto nodes
Why it's wrong here
This is done by the kube-scheduler.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every KCNA question from scratch — 833 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
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.