Google PCA Practice Question: Analysing and Optimising Technical and Business Processes
A company uses Cloud CDN to serve static content from a Cloud Storage bucket. They update the content every 2 hours, but users sometimes see stale content for up to 24 hours. They need users to see the latest content within 5 minutes of an update. Which action should they take?
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
✓
Set a short max-age TTL (e.g., 5 minutes) on the objects
To ensure content is served fresh, they should set a short max-age (cache TTL) on the object metadata or via the bucket's default object holding. Invalidating the cache is a reactive measure, but setting a short TTL ensures that cache entries expire quickly. Cache modes affect query string handling, not TTL. Cache keys affect how content is cached but not the freshness duration.
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 cache invalidation after each update
Why it's wrong here
Cache invalidation removes objects from Cloud CDN edge caches, but the default minimum TTL for Cloud CDN is 5 minutes, and the company updates content every 2 hours; invalidation alone cannot force the CDN to fetch fresh content from the bucket within 5 minutes if the TTL is set longer than that. This option is tempting because invalidation is designed to purge stale cached objects immediately after a change, and it would be correct if the requirement were to clear outdated data from edges without adjusting cache settings.
- ✗
Use custom cache keys
Why it's wrong here
Custom cache keys control cache grouping, not freshness.
- ✓
Set a short max-age TTL (e.g., 5 minutes) on the objects
Why this is correct
Setting a short TTL tells CDN to cache for only 5 minutes, after which it re-fetches from origin. This ensures fresh content within 5 minutes.
- ✗
Change cache mode to CACHE_ALL_STATIC
Why it's wrong here
Cache mode affects what gets cached (e.g., static vs dynamic), not the TTL.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to Google Cloud Platform
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.
Key term
Cloud storage
Cloud storage is a service that lets you save data on remote servers accessed over the internet instead of on your computer's hard drive.
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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.