Google ACE Practice Question: Ensuring Successful Operation of a Cloud Solution
You are deploying a new version of an application to a Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) cluster. You want to ensure that the new version is rolled out gradually, and if any issues are detected, the rollout is automatically paused. You also want to be able to easily roll back to the previous version. Which GKE feature should you use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse a ReplicaSet with a Deployment; while a ReplicaSet maintains pod count, only a Deployment provides rolling update and rollback orchestration.
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
✓
Configure a Kubernetes Deployment with a rolling update strategy and set maxSurge and maxUnavailable parameters.
A Kubernetes Deployment with a rolling update strategy is designed for gradual rollouts, supports pausing and resuming, and allows easy rollback to previous versions. It uses ReplicaSets under the hood and provides declarative updates. The other options are either for different use cases (StatefulSet, DaemonSet) or lack native rollout control (ReplicaSet).
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use a StatefulSet with pod management policy set to Parallel.
Why it's wrong here
StatefulSets are designed for stateful applications that require stable network identities and persistent storage. They do not provide gradual rollout with automatic pause on failure. The pod management policy Parallel starts or terminates all pods simultaneously, which is not gradual. This does not meet the requirement for a controlled rollout with rollback.
- ✓
Configure a Kubernetes Deployment with a rolling update strategy and set maxSurge and maxUnavailable parameters.
Why this is correct
A Kubernetes Deployment with a rolling update strategy allows you to gradually replace pods with the new version. By setting maxSurge and maxUnavailable, you control the pace and availability. If issues arise, you can pause the rollout and roll back using kubectl rollout undo. This meets all requirements: gradual rollout, automatic pause on issues (via readiness probes), and easy rollback.
- ✗
Create a DaemonSet to ensure the new version runs on all nodes.
Why it's wrong here
DaemonSets are used to run a copy of a pod on each node, typically for cluster-wide services like logging or monitoring. They are not suitable for deploying application versions with gradual rollout and rollback. Updating a DaemonSet replaces pods on all nodes, which can cause downtime and does not offer the same control as a Deployment.
- ✗
Use a ReplicaSet with a custom controller to manage the rollout.
Why it's wrong here
A ReplicaSet ensures a specified number of pod replicas are running but does not support rolling updates or rollbacks natively. You would need to manually manage the rollout, which is error-prone. Deployments are the higher-level abstraction that manages ReplicaSets and provides rolling update and rollback capabilities. Using a ReplicaSet alone does not meet the requirements.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Google Cloud Platform Overview
Key term
Anthos
Anthos is a Google Cloud platform that lets you run applications consistently across different computing environments, like on-premises data centers and multiple public clouds.
Key term
GKE
GKE is Google's managed Kubernetes service that automates deploying, scaling, and managing containerized applications in the cloud.
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every ACE question from scratch — 775 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Google Cloud exam blueprint
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.