easyMultiple Choice
CV0-004 Practice Question: A cloud architect needs to choose a compute…
A cloud architect needs to choose a compute service for a batch processing job that runs once a day and takes about 30 minutes. The job is CPU-intensive and can tolerate interruptions. Which compute option is the most cost-effective?
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
✓
Spot (preemptible) instances
(Spot/preemptible instances) is the most cost-effective for this interruptible batch job. Reserved instances (A) require a long-term commitment, on-demand instances (D) are more expensive, and dedicated hosts (C) are costly and unnecessary.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Reserved instances
Why it's wrong here
Reserved instances require a one- or three-year commitment to a specific instance family in an Availability Zone, so a 30-minute daily job pays continuously for unused capacity. They suit steady, predictable, always-on workloads, whereas interruptible batch work belongs on Spot capacity.
- ✓
Spot (preemptible) instances
Why this is correct
Spot instances offer substantial discounts over on-demand pricing and can be reclaimed with little notice, which suits a CPU-intensive batch job that tolerates interruptions. The 30-minute daily runtime means reclamation risk is low and cost savings are maximised.
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Dedicated hosts
Why it's wrong here
Dedicated hosts reserve physical server capacity billed hourly or per-socket, so a 30-minute daily job pays for idle hardware the remaining 23.5 hours. They suit licensing-bound or compliance workloads needing host-level visibility and control, not interruptible batch processing.
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On-demand instances
Why it's wrong here
On-demand billing charges the full per-second rate for every run, so a daily 30-minute CPU-intensive job pays premium pricing with no discount mechanism. It suits unpredictable, interruption-intolerant workloads. Spot instances would capture the tolerance for interruption at a far lower rate.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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