← PCA·Google Cloud

Question 811 of 1,000

Designing and Planning a Cloud Solution Architecture →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Google PCA Practice Question: Designing and Planning a Cloud Solution Architecture

This PCA practice question tests your understanding of designing and planning a cloud solution architecture. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.

A company needs to run a batch job that processes data stored in Cloud Storage. The job runs once per day and takes about 2 hours on 8 vCPUs. Cost is the primary concern, and the job can be interrupted. Which compute option is MOST cost-effective?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "primary"
Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.

A
Standard VM (on-demand)
Why wrong: On-demand VMs are more expensive than preemptible for short batch jobs.
B
Spot VM
Why wrong: Spot VMs are similar to preemptible but may have slightly higher cost; preemptible is the cheapest.
C
Preemptible VM
Preemptible VMs offer the lowest cost for fault-tolerant batch jobs.
D
Sole-tenant node
Why wrong: Sole-tenant nodes are more expensive and used for licensing or security requirements.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Preemptible VM

Preemptible VMs (the predecessor to Spot VMs in GCP) are the most cost-effective option for batch workloads that can tolerate interruptions because they offer up to 80% discount compared to standard on-demand VMs. Since the job runs once per day for only 2 hours and can be interrupted, Preemptible VMs are ideal—they can be terminated at any time by GCP, but the job can be retried or resumed. Spot VMs are the modern equivalent, but Preemptible VMs are still available and are explicitly designed for fault-tolerant, short-lived batch processing.

Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

✗
Standard VM (on-demand)
Why it's wrong here
On-demand VMs are more expensive than preemptible for short batch jobs.
✗
Spot VM
Why it's wrong here
Spot VMs are similar to preemptible but may have slightly higher cost; preemptible is the cheapest.
✓
Preemptible VM
Why this is correct
Preemptible VMs offer the lowest cost for fault-tolerant batch jobs.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Sole-tenant node
Why it's wrong here
Sole-tenant nodes are more expensive and used for licensing or security requirements.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

Candidates often confuse Preemptible VMs and Spot VMs in Google Cloud. Spot VMs are the newer offering, but Preemptible VMs are still available and are explicitly designed for fault-tolerant, short-lived batch processing. Since the question explicitly lists Preemptible VMs as an option, it is the correct answer for cost-sensitive, interruptible batch jobs.

Trap categories for this question

Similar concept trap
Spot VMs are similar to preemptible but may have slightly higher cost; preemptible is the cheapest.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Preemptible VMs have a maximum runtime of 24 hours and can be terminated by GCP at any time with a 30-second notice, making them perfect for idempotent batch jobs that checkpoint progress. Under the hood, GCP reclaims Preemptible VMs when capacity is needed for higher-priority workloads, and they are not subject to live migration or automatic restart. In real-world scenarios, a data processing pipeline using Cloud Storage triggers and Cloud Functions can automatically restart a failed Preemptible VM job, ensuring completion at minimal cost.

KKey Concepts to Remember

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.

TExam Day Tips

Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.

Key takeaway

Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.

Real-world example

How this comes up in practice

A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

Related PCA practice-question pages

Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.

Managing Implementation and Ensuring Solution and Operations Reliability practice questions

Practise PCA questions linked to Managing Implementation and Ensuring Solution and Operations Reliability.

Designing and Planning a Cloud Solution Architecture practice questions

Practise PCA questions linked to Designing and Planning a Cloud Solution Architecture.

Managing and Provisioning a Solution Infrastructure practice questions

Practise PCA questions linked to Managing and Provisioning a Solution Infrastructure.

Designing for Security and Compliance practice questions

Practise PCA questions linked to Designing for Security and Compliance.

Analysing and Optimising Technical and Business Processes practice questions

Practise PCA questions linked to Analysing and Optimising Technical and Business Processes.

Design and plan a cloud solution architecture practice questions

Practise PCA questions linked to Design and plan a cloud solution architecture.

Manage and provision cloud infrastructure practice questions

Practise PCA questions linked to Manage and provision cloud infrastructure.

Design for security and compliance practice questions

Practise PCA questions linked to Design for security and compliance.

Analyze and optimize technical and business processes practice questions

Practise PCA questions linked to Analyze and optimize technical and business processes.

Manage implementation of cloud architecture practice questions

Practise PCA questions linked to Manage implementation of cloud architecture.

Ensure solution and operations reliability practice questions

Practise PCA questions linked to Ensure solution and operations reliability.

PCA fundamentals practice questions

Practise PCA questions linked to PCA fundamentals.

Practice this exam

Start a free PCA practice session

Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.

10 questions 20 questions 30 questions 50 questions Timed 30

PCA practice-test guide →Study guide →Browse all practice tests

FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this PCA question test?

Designing and Planning a Cloud Solution Architecture — This question tests Designing and Planning a Cloud Solution Architecture — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Preemptible VM — Preemptible VMs (the predecessor to Spot VMs in GCP) are the most cost-effective option for batch workloads that can tolerate interruptions because they offer up to 80% discount compared to standard on-demand VMs. Since the job runs once per day for only 2 hours and can be interrupted, Preemptible VMs are ideal—they can be terminated at any time by GCP, but the job can be retried or resumed. Spot VMs are the modern equivalent, but Preemptible VMs are still available and are explicitly designed for fault-tolerant, short-lived batch processing.

What should I do if I get this PCA question wrong?

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "primary". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

About these practice questions

Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →

How Courseiva writes practice questions · Editorial policy

Keep practising

Question Discussion

Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.

Loading comments…

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.