Google PCA Manage and provision cloud infrastructure Practice Question
Network Topology
Refer to the exhibit. A user reports that the instance 'batch-vm' is unavailable. Based on the output, what is the most likely cause of the unavailability?
⚠ Common exam trap
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between 'STOPPED' (user-initiated, billable for attached resources) and 'TERMINATED' (preempted or deleted, no longer billable), and candidates confuse preemption with a manual stop or a crash.
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
✓
The preemptible VM was terminated by Google due to its preemptible nature.
The exhibit shows the instance 'batch-vm' with a status of 'TERMINATED' and the 'preemptible' flag set to 'true'. Preemptible VMs in Google Cloud have a maximum runtime of 24 hours and can be terminated at any time by Google Compute Engine due to resource constraints. The termination reason is typically 'preemption', which matches the scenario of a user reporting unavailability without manual intervention.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The VM was stopped manually by a user.
Why it's wrong here
The exhibit's status shows the instance terminated or stopped by the system or a scheduled operation, not a manual user action; manual stops appear differently. It tempts because users commonly stop batch VMs, but the displayed reason indicates an automated or policy-driven shutdown.
- ✓
The preemptible VM was terminated by Google due to its preemptible nature.
Why this is correct
Preemptible VMs run at lower cost but Google can reclaim them at any time with a 30-second warning, stopping the instance abruptly. The exhibit's terminated status and preemptible flag confirm this involuntary reclaim, not a crash or quota issue.
- ✗
The VM lost its external IP address.
Why it's wrong here
Losing an external IP affects inbound connectivity, not the instance's reported state; the exhibit shows the VM itself not running. It tempts because unreachable instances often stem from networking, but the status field here points to the instance lifecycle rather than address assignment.
- ✗
The VM crashed due to an out-of-memory error.
Why it's wrong here
The exhibit shows the instance stopped or terminated, not memory exhaustion; an OOM crash would leave the VM running or show a host error. OOM is tempting because batch workloads consume memory heavily, but the displayed status indicates an administrative stop instead.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Google Cloud Compute Options Overview
Key term
Compute Engine
Compute Engine is Google Cloud's Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) offering that lets you create and run virtual machines on Google's infrastructure.
Key term
CAN
A CAN (Controller Area Network) is a robust vehicle bus standard designed to allow microcontrollers and devices to communicate with each other without a host computer.
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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.