Google ACE Deploying and Implementing a Cloud Solution Practice Question

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

• ✗

  gcloud compute instances create my-vm --machine-type=n1-highmem-4 --image-family=debian-10 --image-project=debian-cloud

  Why it's wrong here

  This command uses n1-highmem-4, which does allocate 4 vCPUs but pairs them with 26 GB of RAM because highmem machine types provide 6.5 GB per vCPU. That is significantly more memory than the 15 GB found in the n1-standard-4 type, so it creates a different, more expensive VM than the one requested. Unless the workload actually requires memory optimization, this machine type is the wrong choice for meeting a standard 4-vCPU requirement.

• ✓

  gcloud compute instances create my-vm --machine-type=n1-standard-4 --image-family=debian-10 --image-project=debian-cloud

  Why this is correct

  This is the correct command because n1-standard-4 is the general-purpose machine type that provides exactly 4 vCPUs and 15 GB of memory, satisfying the stated requirement. It also explicitly sets --image-family=debian-10 and --image-project=debian-cloud, which tells gcloud to use the latest active Debian 10 image from the official debian-cloud project. The command is complete and creates a reproducible Debian 10 VM with the desired vCPU count.

• ✗

  gcloud compute instances create my-vm --machine-type=n1-standard-4 --image-family=ubuntu-1804 --image-project=ubuntu-os-cloud

  Why it's wrong here

  The machine type n1-standard-4 correctly gives 4 vCPUs, but the image selection is wrong for this scenario: --image-family=ubuntu-1804 and --image-project=ubuntu-os-cloud specify Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, not Debian 10. Because the developer explicitly needs Debian 10, this command would boot a different operating system and may fail compliance or compatibility checks. Even though the VM would have the right size, the OS requirement is not met.

• ✗

  gcloud compute instances create my-vm --machine-type=n1-standard-4

  Why it's wrong here

  This command is missing both --image-family and --image-project, leaving the operating system unspecified. When gcloud runs without an image specification, it either errors because the image is required or silently uses a default image, depending on your gcloud configuration and environment. Without an explicit Debian 10 image, you cannot guarantee that the resulting VM uses the required OS, making the command incomplete and non-deterministic.

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