Google ACE Practice Question: Ensuring Successful Operation of a Cloud Solution
Your GKE cluster is running a deployment with a container image my-app:v1. You need to update it to my-app:v2 and monitor the rollout progress. Which commands should you use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse GKE workload management with Compute Engine container management, or assuming `kubectl edit` is the preferred method for image updates when the exam expects the imperative `kubectl set image` + `kubectl rollout status` pattern.
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
✓
kubectl set image deployment/my-app my-app=my-app:v2 followed by kubectl rollout status deployment/my-app
The correct approach uses `kubectl set image` to declaratively update the container image in the deployment, which triggers a rolling update, followed by `kubectl rollout status` to watch the rollout progress until completion. This is the standard Kubernetes-native workflow for image updates and monitoring.
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 update-container and kubectl get events
Why it's wrong here
gcloud compute instances update-container is a command for updating containers on Compute Engine VM instances, typically in a managed instance group, so it has no effect on a GKE Deployment's container image. kubectl get events merely lists cluster events and does not monitor the rollout progress of a Deployment update, making this combination incorrect for the task.
- ✗
kubectl edit deployment/my-app and change the image, then kubectl rollout undo if needed
Why it's wrong here
kubectl edit deployment/my-app can change the container image, but it is an interactive manual edit and does not itself report rollout progress. Running kubectl rollout undo only rolls back the Deployment if a problem occurs; it does not monitor the ongoing rollout. The question specifically asks to update the image and monitor progress, so kubectl rollout status is needed.
- ✓
kubectl set image deployment/my-app my-app=my-app:v2 followed by kubectl rollout status deployment/my-app
Why this is correct
kubectl set image deployment/my-app my-app=my-app:v2 imperatively updates the container image of the specified container in the Deployment, which immediately triggers a new ReplicaSet and rolling update. kubectl rollout status deployment/my-app then blocks and reports the status of that rollout until it completes, satisfying the requirement to update and monitor progress in one straightforward command sequence.
- ✗
gcloud container clusters upgrade and kubectl get pods
Why it's wrong here
gcloud container clusters upgrade is used to upgrade the Kubernetes control plane or node pools to a new cluster version, not to change the container image of a running application Deployment. kubectl get pods only lists the current pods and does not monitor the forward progress of a Deployment rollout; it also does not initiate any update, so this option does not update the app at all.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Cloud Monitoring and Uptime Checks
Key term
Container
A container is a lightweight, standalone software package that includes everything needed to run an application, such as code, runtime, system tools, and libraries.
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.
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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.