Google PCA Practice Question: Analysing and Optimising Technical and Business Processes
A company runs a latency-sensitive web application on Compute Engine in us-east1. They want to improve response times for users in Europe and Asia without changing the application architecture. Which TWO actions should they take? (Choose 2.)
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
✓
Enable Cloud CDN on the load balancer
Cloud CDN caches static content at edge locations globally, reducing latency for users worldwide. Placing a load balancer in multiple regions (multi-region load balancing with proximity-based routing) directs users to the nearest backend region. Using only us-west1 would still leave European users far away. Cloud Armor is for security, not performance. Spot VMs are for cost savings, not latency.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use preemptible VMs to reduce cost
Why it's wrong here
Preemptible VMs are for cost savings, not performance improvement.
- ✓
Enable Cloud CDN on the load balancer
Why this is correct
Cloud CDN caches static content at edge locations, improving latency for all users.
- ✗
Deploy additional instances in us-west1
Why it's wrong here
us-west1 is still not close to Europe or Asia; better to deploy in Europe and Asia.
- ✓
Create a multi-region load balancer and deploy backends in europe-west1 and asia-east1
Why this is correct
Multi-region load balancing routes users to the nearest backend, reducing latency.
- ✗
Use Cloud Armor to block high-latency requests
Why it's wrong here
Cloud Armor does not improve latency; it's a security service.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to Google Cloud Platform
Key term
Cloud Armor
Cloud Armor is a Google Cloud web application firewall (WAF) service that protects applications and websites from attacks like DDoS and SQL injection using customizable security rules.
Key term
Cloud CDN
A Cloud CDN is a network of servers spread around the world that stores copies of your website or app content so it loads faster for users no matter where they are.
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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.