Google PCA Manage and provision cloud infrastructure Practice Question
A company is using Cloud Storage to store sensitive data. They need to enforce that objects are deleted exactly 30 days after creation. Which object lifecycle rule should they configure?
⚠ Common exam trap
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between 'age' (based on creation time) and 'daysFromNonCurrentTime' (based on versioning status), leading candidates to confuse deletion of current objects with cleanup of older versions.
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
✓
Delete action with condition age: 30.
The 'Delete action with condition age: 30' directly instructs Cloud Storage to remove objects 30 days after their creation time. The 'age' condition is measured from the object's creation timestamp, which aligns perfectly with the requirement to delete objects exactly 30 days after creation.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
AbortIncompleteMultipartUpload after 30 days.
Why it's wrong here
AbortIncompleteMultipartUpload only cancels unfinished multipart uploads older than the threshold; completed objects remain untouched, so nothing is deleted at 30 days. It is tempting because it is a genuine age-based lifecycle action, correct for reclaiming storage from failed uploads rather than expiring stored objects.
- ✗
Delete action with condition daysFromNonCurrentTime: 30.
Why it's wrong here
daysFromNonCurrentTime counts from when an object became noncurrent, so it only applies under versioning and never fires for live objects, meaning deletion is not guaranteed at 30 days. It is tempting because it is a real Delete condition, and it is correct when purging superseded object versions after a retention window.
- ✓
Delete action with condition age: 30.
Why this is correct
An age condition measures time since each object's creation, and the delete action removes the object once that threshold is reached. Setting age: 30 therefore deletes every object exactly 30 days after creation, matching the stated retention requirement without relying on other conditions.
- ✗
SetStorageClass to Nearline after 30 days.
Why it's wrong here
SetStorageClass transitions objects to Nearline storage; it never deletes them, so retention is not enforced. It is tempting because lifecycle rules do change object state after a day count, and Nearline is the right action when the goal is cheaper storage for data accessed less than monthly, not deletion.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Cloud Storage: Objects and Buckets
Key term
Data
Data is raw, unprocessed information, like numbers, words, or measurements, that can be stored, processed, and analyzed by computers.
Key term
Lifecycle rule
A lifecycle rule is a set of automated policies that move or delete data based on its age or other conditions, helping manage storage costs and compliance.
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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.