Google PCA Manage implementation of cloud architecture Practice Question
A company is deploying a web application on Compute Engine. They want to automatically scale the number of instances based on CPU utilization. Which two components are required to set up autoscaling? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently think Cloud Monitoring is required because autoscaling uses CPU metrics, but the autoscaler automatically accesses those metrics without requiring Cloud Monitoring to be separately configured.
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
✓
Instance template
An instance template is required because it defines the machine configuration (machine type, boot disk image, network tags, etc.) for all VMs created by the autoscaler. Without a template, the managed instance group would have no blueprint to provision new instances when scaling out.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Cloud Functions
Why it's wrong here
Not related to autoscaling Compute Engine.
- ✗
Cloud Load Balancing
Why it's wrong here
Not required for autoscaling based on CPU.
- ✓
Instance template
Why this is correct
Defines the instance configuration for the MIG.
- ✓
Managed instance group
Why this is correct
Manages scaling and instance pool.
- ✗
Cloud Monitoring
Why it's wrong here
Autoscaler uses built-in metrics, Cloud Monitoring is not required.
Go deeper
Related to this question
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Google Cloud Compute Options Overview
Key term
Machine type
A machine type defines the virtual hardware resources (vCPU, memory, and sometimes GPU) assigned to a virtual machine instance in a cloud computing environment.
Key term
Instance template
An instance template is a reusable configuration blueprint that defines the virtual machine settings, such as machine type, boot disk image, and network, for creating identical VM instances in Google Cloud Platform.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PCA 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 PCA exam.