easyMultiple SelectObjective-mapped
Google PCA Practice Question: Store and serve large media files (each up to 5…
A company needs to store and serve large media files (each up to 5 GB) to users globally. The files are accessed infrequently (once a quarter) but must be available with low latency. Which THREE Cloud Storage classes and features should they consider? (Choose three.)
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
✓
Cloud CDN
Nearline is suitable for data accessed less than once a month. Cloud CDN caches content at edge locations for low latency. Object lifecycle management can transition objects to colder storage automatically. Standard is for frequently accessed data. Coldline is for data accessed less than once a quarter. Archive is for data accessed less than once a year.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Coldline storage class
Why it's wrong here
Coldline storage has a 90-day minimum storage duration, so storing 5 GB files accessed once per quarter would incur early-deletion fees for the majority of the retention period, making it cost-inefficient for this infrequent-access pattern. It is tempting because Coldline offers low storage costs for rarely accessed data, and would be correct for archival backups accessed only a few times per year.
- ✗
Standard storage class
Why it's wrong here
Standard is for frequently accessed data, not quarterly access.
- ✓
Cloud CDN
Why this is correct
Cloud CDN caches large media files at Google’s globally distributed edge points of presence, which directly satisfies the low-latency requirement for users worldwide despite infrequent quarterly access. By serving cached content from the nearest edge location, it reduces origin server load and network round-trips, ensuring fast delivery of files up to 5 GB without requiring a higher-cost storage class for performance.
- ✓
Object lifecycle management
Why this is correct
Lifecycle policies can automatically transition objects to Nearline or Coldline based on access patterns.
- ✓
Nearline storage class
Why this is correct
Nearline is cost-effective for data accessed less than once a month, suitable for quarterly access.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to Google Cloud Platform
Key term
Latency
Latency is the time delay between a request being sent over a network and the response being received, often measured in milliseconds.
Key term
Cloud Storage classes
Cloud Storage classes are categories of data storage services offered by cloud providers that differ in performance, availability, cost, and access frequency, allowing users to optimize costs based on how often data is accessed.
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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.