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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. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 runs a batch processing workload that can tolerate interruptions. The job runs for 4 hours every night and can be restarted from checkpoints. They want to minimize compute costs. Which Compute Engine machine configuration 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: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.

A
Preemptible VMs
Preemptible VMs are cost-effective for fault-tolerant batch jobs that can handle interruptions.
B
Standard VMs with sustained use discounts
Why wrong: Sustained use discounts apply automatically but standard VMs are still more expensive than preemptible VMs for interruptible workloads.
C
Spot VMs with a specific reservation
Why wrong: Spot VMs are similar to preemptible but without a maximum 24-hour lifetime; however, preemptible is sufficient and typically cheaper.
D
Committed use VMs (1-year commitment)
Why wrong: Committed use discounts require a long-term commitment and are not optimal for a short daily job.

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 VMs

Preemptible VMs are up to 80% cheaper than standard VMs and can be terminated at any time, but the workload is checkpointable and runs overnight, so interruptions are manageable. Committed use discounts require a 1-year or 3-year commitment and are not ideal for short daily jobs. Standard VMs are more expensive.

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.

✓
Preemptible VMs
Why this is correct
Preemptible VMs are cost-effective for fault-tolerant batch jobs that can handle interruptions.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Standard VMs with sustained use discounts
Why it's wrong here
Sustained use discounts apply automatically but standard VMs are still more expensive than preemptible VMs for interruptible workloads.
✗
Spot VMs with a specific reservation
Why it's wrong here
Spot VMs are similar to preemptible but without a maximum 24-hour lifetime; however, preemptible is sufficient and typically cheaper.
✗
Committed use VMs (1-year commitment)
Why it's wrong here
Committed use discounts require a long-term commitment and are not optimal for a short daily job.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.

Trap categories for this question

Similar concept trap
Spot VMs are similar to preemptible but without a maximum 24-hour lifetime; however, preemptible is sufficient and typically cheaper.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.

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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.

TExam Day Tips

Underline the problem statement mentally.
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 PCA exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.

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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 VMs — Preemptible VMs are up to 80% cheaper than standard VMs and can be terminated at any time, but the workload is checkpointable and runs overnight, so interruptions are manageable. Committed use discounts require a 1-year or 3-year commitment and are not ideal for short daily jobs. Standard VMs are more expensive.

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

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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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.