mediumMultiple Choice
Google PCA Practice Question: A media company stores large video files that are…
A media company stores large video files that are accessed infrequently (once a quarter) and must be retained for 10 years for compliance. They want to minimize storage cost. Which Cloud Storage class should they use?
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
✓
Archive storage class
Archive storage is the lowest-cost class for data accessed less than once a year. It is ideal for long-term archival with 10-year retention. Standard is for frequent access, Nearline for 30 days, Coldline for 90 days. Archive is the cheapest for infrequent access.
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 storage class
Why it's wrong here
Standard's per-gigabyte rate and lack of retrieval charges suit frequently accessed data, so it cannot minimise cost for quarterly access over ten years. It is tempting because Standard gives the lowest latency and no minimum storage duration, making it the right class for actively served or hot content.
- ✓
Archive storage class
Why this is correct
Archive storage suits data accessed roughly once a quarter and retained for a decade, since its low storage price offsets higher retrieval costs and minimum storage duration. It satisfies the stem's cost-minimisation constraint for cold, compliance-bound video files, unlike Nearline or Coldline, which cost more per gigabyte stored.
- ✗
Coldline storage class
Why it's wrong here
Coldline's 90-day minimum storage duration and higher per-gigabyte rate exceed what quarterly retrieval requires, so Archive would cost less across ten years. Coldline suits data accessed roughly once a year where rapid millisecond retrieval still matters.
- ✗
Nearline storage class
Why it's wrong here
Nearline storage suits data accessed roughly monthly, not quarterly, and its 30-day minimum storage duration plus retrieval charges add cost for a 10-year compliance archive. It is tempting because Nearline genuinely reduces cost for backups and data read about once a month, where its lower storage price outweighs retrieval fees.
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
Data Migration and Transfer Services
Key term
Storage class
A storage class is a category of data storage that defines how data is stored, accessed, retrieved, and billed in a cloud environment.
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.
About these practice questions
One of 807 original PCA practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.