Google ACE Setting Up a Cloud Solution Environment Practice Question
You need to view the current gcloud configuration settings, including the active account, project, and compute region. Which TWO commands can you use? (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
✓
gcloud config list
gcloud config list displays all configuration properties. gcloud info provides detailed information, including configuration.
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 config list
Why this is correct
Running `gcloud config list` displays all the active property settings in your current gcloud configuration, such as account, project, and compute region/zone, in a clean key=value format. You can use `gcloud config list --all` to view every settable property, including those with unset defaults. This is the standard, most direct way to inspect your working configuration.
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gcloud config describe
Why it's wrong here
There is no `gcloud config describe` subcommand in the gCloud CLI. The `gcloud config` command group only offers `list`, `get-value`, `set`, `unset`, and `configurations` as subcommands. Attempting to run it will produce an 'Unknown command' error, so it cannot be used to view anything.
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gcloud projects list
Why it's wrong here
`gcloud projects list` queries the Cloud Resource Manager API and returns a table of all Google Cloud projects that your currently signed-in account has permission to view. It does not expose any local gcloud configuration settings such as your active account, default project, or compute region, which are stored per-connection in the SDK's configuration files.
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gcloud auth list
Why it's wrong here
`gcloud auth list` only enumerates the accounts that have been authenticated for use by the CLI, showing which one is currently active. It omits other crucial configuration properties such as the default project, regions, and zones, so it gives an incomplete view of your environment's settings. For a complete configuration view, `gcloud config list` is the appropriate command.
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gcloud info
Why this is correct
`gcloud info` prints comprehensive diagnostic data about the SDK installation, including the Cloud SDK version, Python path, and environment variables, and it also shows the active configuration and its properties. This makes it a valid, if more verbose, way to see your current configuration settings. However, for a focused readout of just configuration properties, `gcloud config list` is clearer and more direct.
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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.