PCA Prometheus Fundamentals Practice Question
What is the behavior of the 'absent()' function?
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
✓
It returns 1 if the metric is missing
absent() returns a vector with a single element if the provided expression has no results.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
It masks null values
Why it's wrong here
It does not mask values; it reports existence.
- ✓
It returns 1 if the metric is missing
Why this is correct
absent() checks for the existence of time series.
- ✗
It returns 1 if the metric exists
Why it's wrong here
It's the inverse: it returns 1 if the metric is missing.
- ✗
It deletes the metric
Why it's wrong here
absent() is a query function, not a management command.
About these practice questions
One of 304 original PCA practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed August 2026 · checked against the official CNCF / Linux Foundation exam blueprint
This PCA practice question is part of Courseiva's free CNCF / Linux Foundation 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 PCA exam.