Google PCA Manage implementation of cloud architecture Practice Question
A company is using Cloud Load Balancing with backend services across multiple regions. They notice that traffic is not being evenly distributed and some backends are overloaded. Which configuration should they check?
⚠ Common exam trap
Google Cloud often tests the misconception that health checks or firewall rules are responsible for load distribution, when in fact session affinity is the primary configuration that can cause uneven traffic patterns by overriding the default balancing algorithm.
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
✓
Session affinity settings
Session affinity (sticky sessions) directs all requests from a single client to the same backend instance. If enabled, this can cause uneven load distribution because certain clients may generate disproportionately more traffic, overloading their pinned backends while others remain underutilized. Disabling or properly configuring session affinity allows the load balancer to distribute requests based on its default algorithm (e.g., round-robin or least-connections), improving balance across backends.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Session affinity settings
Why this is correct
Sticky sessions can lead to uneven load distribution.
- ✗
Firewall rules
Why it's wrong here
Control network access, not traffic distribution.
- ✗
Cloud CDN caching
Why it's wrong here
Caches content, does not affect backend load distribution.
- ✗
Health check frequency
Why it's wrong here
Only affects detection of unhealthy instances, not load distribution.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to Google Cloud Platform
Key term
Load balancer
A load balancer is a device or software that distributes incoming network traffic across multiple servers so no single server gets overwhelmed.
Key term
Cloud Load Balancing
Cloud Load Balancing is the process of distributing incoming network traffic across multiple servers or resources in the cloud to ensure no single resource is overwhelmed, improving availability and reliability.
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JA
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.