Google ACE Deploying and Implementing a Cloud Solution Practice Question
A company wants to deploy a new application on Google Cloud that requires a regional managed instance group with automatic scaling based on HTTP load. Which two resources must they create? (Choose TWO.)
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
✓
HTTP(S) Load Balancer
To deploy a regional managed instance group (MIG) with autoscaling based on HTTP load, you need an instance template to define the VM configuration for the MIG, and an HTTP(S) Load Balancer to distribute traffic and provide the load metrics for autoscaling. Options C (HTTP(S) Load Balancer) and D (Instance template) are correct. Option A (Cloud Run) is for serverless containers, not for MIGs. Option B (GKE cluster) is for Kubernetes. Option E (Cloud Function) is for serverless functions.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Cloud Run service
Why it's wrong here
Cloud Run is a serverless container platform that runs stateless HTTP workloads on a managed infrastructure, but it does not provision or manage Compute Engine VM instances or support the concept of an instance group. The question explicitly targets a deployment on Compute Engine instances, so Cloud Run is an incorrect architecture choice because it abstracts away the VMs entirely, making it incompatible with the stated requirement.
- ✗
GKE cluster
Why it's wrong here
A GKE cluster is a managed Kubernetes environment for orchestrating containerized applications across a pool of nodes (which are Compute Engine VMs), but it introduces a control plane and container orchestration layer that is unnecessary when the requirement is simply to run the application on Compute Engine instances. Using GKE would add complexity and operational overhead without providing any benefit for a straightforward VM-based deployment that can be served by a managed instance group and load balancer.
- ✓
HTTP(S) Load Balancer
Why this is correct
The HTTP(S) Load Balancer is a correct component because it provides a single anycast IP address that distributes incoming traffic across the backend Compute Engine instances in the managed instance group. It also performs health checks on those instances and automatically routes traffic only to healthy VMs, which is essential for a highly available application and is the standard external entry point for a MIG-based deployment.
- ✓
Instance template
Why this is correct
The instance template is a correct component because it defines the machine type, boot disk image, network tags, startup script, and other configuration for every VM that the managed instance group will create. Without an instance template, the MIG has no specification to use when autoscaling or repairing instances, so it is a foundational prerequisite for deploying the application consistently across all Compute Engine instances.
- ✗
Cloud Function
Why it's wrong here
A Cloud Function is a serverless, event-driven compute service that executes a single-purpose function in response to events, not a long-running application deployment on Compute Engine instances. It does not involve VM instances, instance groups, or load balancers in the same way, and it is designed for lightweight functions rather than hosting an entire application, making it inappropriate for this use case.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Google Cloud Platform Overview
Key term
Google Cloud
Google Cloud is a suite of cloud computing services offered by Google that provides infrastructure, platform, and software solutions over the internet.
Key term
Managed instance group
A managed instance group is a collection of identical virtual machine instances that are automatically managed as a single unit to ensure high availability and scalability.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This ACE practice question is part of Courseiva's free Google Cloud 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 ACE exam.