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Design for security and compliance →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Google PCA Design for security and compliance Practice Question

This PCA practice question tests your understanding of design for security and compliance. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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.

Exhibit

Refer to the exhibit.

IAM policy for project my-project:
```json
{
  "bindings": [
    {
      "role": "roles/storage.objectViewer",
      "members": ["user:alice@example.com"]
    },
    {
      "role": "roles/storage.objectAdmin",
      "members": ["user:alice@example.com"]
    }
  ],
  "denyRules": [
    {
      "denialCondition": {
        "expression": "resource.name.startsWith('projects/my-project/buckets/secret-bucket')"
      },
      "members": ["user:alice@example.com"],
      "role": "roles/storage.objectViewer"
    }
  ]
}
```

Alice needs to read objects in the bucket 'secret-bucket'. Based on the IAM policy, what is her effective access?

Exhibit

Refer to the exhibit.

IAM policy for project my-project:
```json
{
  "bindings": [
    {
      "role": "roles/storage.objectViewer",
      "members": ["user:alice@example.com"]
    },
    {
      "role": "roles/storage.objectAdmin",
      "members": ["user:alice@example.com"]
    }
  ],
  "denyRules": [
    {
      "denialCondition": {
        "expression": "resource.name.startsWith('projects/my-project/buckets/secret-bucket')"
      },
      "members": ["user:alice@example.com"],
      "role": "roles/storage.objectViewer"
    }
  ]
}
```

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

✓

Alice can read objects because objectAdmin grants read access and is not denied.

Option C is correct because the IAM policy grants Alice the objectAdmin role, which includes read access to objects in the bucket. The deny rule specifically removes the objectViewer role, but objectAdmin is a separate role that provides its own read permissions. Since the deny does not explicitly target objectAdmin, the allow binding for objectAdmin remains effective, giving Alice read access.

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.

  • ✗

    Alice cannot read objects because the deny rule overrides all allow bindings.

    Why it's wrong here

    Deny rules only deny the specific role listed.

  • ✗

    Alice can read objects only if she also has objectCreator role.

    Why it's wrong here

    objectAdmin includes read.

  • ✓

    Alice can read objects because objectAdmin grants read access and is not denied.

    Why this is correct

    objectAdmin includes read, and the deny only applies to objectViewer.

    Related concept

    Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

  • ✗

    Alice cannot read objects because the deny rule removes objectViewer and she has no other read access.

    Why it's wrong here

    objectAdmin grants read access.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

A common mistake on the Google PCA exam is thinking a deny rule blocks all access to a Cloud Storage bucket. In reality, GCP IAM deny rules only deny the specific permissions listed. If the deny rule removes objectViewer but the user has objectAdmin (which includes read), the allow remains effective.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

In Google Cloud IAM, deny rules are evaluated after allow bindings and can only block permissions that are explicitly listed in the deny statement. The objectAdmin role (roles/storage.objectAdmin) includes storage.objects.get and storage.objects.list, which are read permissions distinct from those in objectViewer (roles/storage.objectViewer). This separation means a deny targeting objectViewer does not affect objectAdmin unless the deny also explicitly includes the same permissions. In practice, this allows fine-grained access control where a user can be denied a broad viewer role but still have specific admin-level read access.

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.

TExam Day Tips

  • 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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this PCA question test?

Design for security and compliance — This question tests Design for security and compliance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Alice can read objects because objectAdmin grants read access and is not denied. — Option C is correct because the IAM policy grants Alice the objectAdmin role, which includes read access to objects in the bucket. The deny rule specifically removes the objectViewer role, but objectAdmin is a separate role that provides its own read permissions. Since the deny does not explicitly target objectAdmin, the allow binding for objectAdmin remains effective, giving Alice read access.

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

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026

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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.