Google ACE Planning and Configuring a Cloud Solution Practice Question
A DevOps engineer is using the Google Cloud Pricing Calculator to estimate the monthly cost of a Compute Engine VM running 24/7 for one month. The engineer selects a machine type and adds sustained use discounts. What is the correct way to apply sustained use discounts in the calculator?
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
✓
The calculator automatically applies sustained use discounts based on monthly usage
Sustained use discounts are automatically applied by Google Cloud based on the number of hours a VM runs per month. The calculator includes them automatically when you specify the monthly usage.
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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Manually enter a discount percentage
Why it's wrong here
The calculator does not offer a field for manually entering a discount percentage for sustained use discounts. SUD is computed automatically by the calculator based on the projected monthly usage of the VM, so any manual entry would be redundant and is not part of the UI. There is no such discount field, unlike some other cost-estimation tools.
- ✓
The calculator automatically applies sustained use discounts based on monthly usage
Why this is correct
When you configure Compute Engine resources in the Google Cloud Pricing Calculator, the tool estimates the monthly run time for each VM and automatically applies the applicable sustained use discount. SUD tiers are calculated without any user action: resources running more than 25% of the month receive a discount that increases incrementally until reaching a maximum of 20% off for the portion of the month after a full month of usage. This auto-application makes the estimate reflect actual billing.
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Select 'Sustained Use Discount' checkbox
Why it's wrong here
The Google Cloud Pricing Calculator does not include a 'Sustained Use Discount' checkbox or any other toggle to enable SUD. Sustained use is an automatic benefit applied to qualifying Compute Engine resources, and the calculator reflects it by default. Attempting to find such a checkbox in the UI is a misconception; there is no manual opt-in or opt-out.
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Sustained use discounts are not applicable to Compute Engine
Why it's wrong here
Sustained use discounts are absolutely applicable to Compute Engine; in fact, they were introduced for Compute Engine VMs and remain one of its key cost-saving mechanisms. The discount applies automatically without requiring any commitment or upfront payment. It is also available for other services, but Compute Engine is the canonical example, so this statement is factually incorrect.
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Google Cloud Platform Overview
Key term
Compute Engine
Compute Engine is Google Cloud's Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) offering that lets you create and run virtual machines on Google's infrastructure.
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.
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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.