Prometheus Certified Associate (PCA, CNCF/Linux Foundation) (PCA) PCA Questions 301–304 | Page 5/5

301

MCQhard

What is the behavior of the 'absent()' function?

A.It masks null values

B.It returns 1 if the metric is missing

C.It returns 1 if the metric exists

D.It deletes the metric

AnswerB

absent() checks for the existence of time series.

Why this answer

absent() returns a vector with a single element if the provided expression has no results.

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302

Multi-Selecthard

Which THREE are true regarding the Prometheus TSDB?

Select 3 answers

A.It uses an inverted index for fast searching.

B.It stores data in blocks of time.

C.It uses a B-tree for all queries.

D.It is a relational database.

E.It maintains a Write Ahead Log (WAL).

AnswersA, B, E

Crucial for label filtering.

Why this answer

It uses blocks, WAL, and index files, and it is optimized for time-series data.

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303

Multi-Selectmedium

Which TWO of the following are valid ways to run Prometheus?

Select 2 answers

A.As a browser extension

B.As a container

C.As a binary

D.As a database engine library

E.As a kernel module

AnswersB, C

Common deployment pattern.

Why this answer

Prometheus can run as a standalone binary or inside a container.

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304

MCQmedium

What is the primary operational difference between the 'rate()' and 'irate()' functions in PromQL?

A.rate() can be used with instant vectors, whereas irate() requires range vectors.

B.irate() automatically accounts for counter resets, whereas rate() does not.

C.irate() supports gauges, while rate() only supports counters.

D.rate() averages the per-second rate over the entire specified range vector, while irate() calculates the rate based on the last two data points in the range vector.

AnswerD

irate() uses only the last two points, making it sensitive to short-term spikes, while rate() averages across the full window.

Why this answer

rate() calculates the average per-second rate over the whole range vector, smoothing spikes, whereas irate() calculates the instantaneous rate using only the last two points.

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Prometheus Certified Associate (PCA, CNCF/Linux Foundation) (PCA) (PCA) — Questions 301–304