This ACE practice question tests your understanding of ace exam topics. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Refer to the exhibit. A user tries to delete the disk 'my-disk' but receives an error. Based on the exhibit, what is the most likely cause?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
The disk is being used by a snapshot.
Why wrong: No snapshot reference is shown.
The disk size must be 0 to delete.
Why wrong: Disk size does not affect deletion.
The disk is still attached to an instance.
The USERS field shows attachment to an instance.
The disk is not in the correct project.
Why wrong: The project is shown as my-project, which matches.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
The disk is still attached to an instance.
Option C is correct because a disk cannot be deleted while it is attached to a running or stopped instance. In Google Cloud, you must first detach the disk from the instance before deletion. The error message indicates the disk is in use, and the exhibit confirms it is attached to an instance.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
The disk is being used by a snapshot.
Why it's wrong here
No snapshot reference is shown.
The disk size must be 0 to delete.
Why it's wrong here
Disk size does not affect deletion.
The disk is still attached to an instance.
Why this is correct
The USERS field shows attachment to an instance.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
The disk is not in the correct project.
Why it's wrong here
The project is shown as my-project, which matches.
Common exam traps
Google Cloud often tests the misconception that snapshots or disk size prevent deletion, but the real blocker is the attachment state, which is a common oversight when managing persistent disks.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
No snapshot reference is shown.
Detailed technical explanation
When a disk is attached to an instance, the instance's lease holds a reference on the disk resource, preventing deletion. The `gcloud compute disks delete` command will fail with a 'resourceInUseByAnotherResource' error if the disk is attached. Detaching the disk via `gcloud compute instances detach-disk` or the console releases the reference, allowing deletion.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
The correct answer is: The disk is still attached to an instance. — Option C is correct because a disk cannot be deleted while it is attached to a running or stopped instance. In Google Cloud, you must first detach the disk from the instance before deletion. The error message indicates the disk is in use, and the exhibit confirms it is attached to an instance.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
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.
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