Google PCA Design and plan a cloud solution architecture Practice Question
This PCA practice question tests your understanding of design and plan a cloud solution architecture. Examine the command output carefully: the correct answer depends on what the output actually shows, not on general recall alone. 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
gcloud compute forwarding-rules list
NAME REGION IP_ADDRESS IP_PROTOCOL TARGET
my-rule us-central1 10.128.0.1 TCP my-target-pool
Health check configuration for 'my-target-pool':
- checkIntervalSec: 5
- timeoutSec: 5
- healthyThreshold: 2
- unhealthyThreshold: 2
Health check logs:
2024-01-15 10:00:01 Health check for instance web-01: healthy (response time 3ms)
2024-01-15 10:00:06 Health check for instance web-01: healthy (response time 2ms)
2024-01-15 10:00:11 Health check for instance web-01: healthy (response time 4ms)
2024-01-15 10:00:16 Health check for instance web-01: unhealthy (timeout)
2024-01-15 10:00:21 Health check for instance web-01: unhealthy (timeout)
2024-01-15 10:00:26 Health check for instance web-01: healthy (response time 2ms)
Refer to the exhibit. An engineer is reviewing health check logs for a target pool. The instance web-01 is still serving traffic despite two consecutive unhealthy health checks. Why is the instance not removed from the target pool?
Exhibit
gcloud compute forwarding-rules list
NAME REGION IP_ADDRESS IP_PROTOCOL TARGET
my-rule us-central1 10.128.0.1 TCP my-target-pool
Health check configuration for 'my-target-pool':
- checkIntervalSec: 5
- timeoutSec: 5
- healthyThreshold: 2
- unhealthyThreshold: 2
Health check logs:
2024-01-15 10:00:01 Health check for instance web-01: healthy (response time 3ms)
2024-01-15 10:00:06 Health check for instance web-01: healthy (response time 2ms)
2024-01-15 10:00:11 Health check for instance web-01: healthy (response time 4ms)
2024-01-15 10:00:16 Health check for instance web-01: unhealthy (timeout)
2024-01-15 10:00:21 Health check for instance web-01: unhealthy (timeout)
2024-01-15 10:00:26 Health check for instance web-01: healthy (response time 2ms)
A
The health check's timeoutSec is too high, causing delayed removal.
Why wrong: timeoutSec is 5 seconds, which is appropriate.
B
The forwarding rule is not using the target pool, so health checks have no effect.
Why wrong: The forwarding rule targets my-target-pool.
C
The healthyThreshold is set to 2, requiring two healthy checks before re-adding, but the instance only had one healthy check.
Why wrong: The healthyThreshold is 2, but the instance had only one healthy check after the failures, so it would not be re-added yet. However, the exhibit shows it is serving traffic, which contradicts this. Actually, the instance might have been removed and not re-added? The question says 'still serving traffic', so maybe the instance was never removed. The logs show two failures but then a success. The instance might still be considered healthy because the unhealthy threshold requires 2 consecutive failures, but the instance recovered before the second check? Wait, the second failure occurred at 10:00:21, so two consecutive failures. The instance should be marked unhealthy after 10:00:21. Then at 10:00:26 it is healthy. So it would be removed after 10:00:21 and then re-added after 10:00:26. The question implies it is still serving traffic, so it must have been re-added. Option B is correct.
D
The instance was removed after the second failure but then re-added after the next healthy check, so it is serving traffic again.
The instance was marked unhealthy after two consecutive failures, but the next health check succeeded, so it was re-added to the target pool.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The instance was removed after the second failure but then re-added after the next healthy check, so it is serving traffic again.
Option D is correct because the instance was removed from the target pool after the second consecutive unhealthy health check, but it was immediately re-added after the next healthy health check. This happens when the health check's `unhealthyThreshold` is set to 2, meaning two consecutive failures trigger removal, but the instance then passes a subsequent health check, causing it to be re-added and resume serving traffic. The logs show the instance is still serving traffic because it was removed and then re-added within the same monitoring window.
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.
✗
The health check's timeoutSec is too high, causing delayed removal.
Why it's wrong here
timeoutSec is 5 seconds, which is appropriate.
✗
The forwarding rule is not using the target pool, so health checks have no effect.
Why it's wrong here
The forwarding rule targets my-target-pool.
✗
The healthyThreshold is set to 2, requiring two healthy checks before re-adding, but the instance only had one healthy check.
Why it's wrong here
The healthyThreshold is 2, but the instance had only one healthy check after the failures, so it would not be re-added yet. However, the exhibit shows it is serving traffic, which contradicts this. Actually, the instance might have been removed and not re-added? The question says 'still serving traffic', so maybe the instance was never removed. The logs show two failures but then a success. The instance might still be considered healthy because the unhealthy threshold requires 2 consecutive failures, but the instance recovered before the second check? Wait, the second failure occurred at 10:00:21, so two consecutive failures. The instance should be marked unhealthy after 10:00:21. Then at 10:00:26 it is healthy. So it would be removed after 10:00:21 and then re-added after 10:00:26. The question implies it is still serving traffic, so it must have been re-added. Option B is correct.
✓
The instance was removed after the second failure but then re-added after the next healthy check, so it is serving traffic again.
Why this is correct
The instance was marked unhealthy after two consecutive failures, but the next health check succeeded, so it was re-added to the target pool.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
In Google Cloud, the health check's `unhealthyThreshold` determines how many consecutive failures before an instance is removed from the target pool. A common mistake is thinking that a low `healthyThreshold` prevents re-addition, but in fact, after removal, a single healthy check (if `healthyThreshold` is 1) will immediately re-add the instance. Candidates often overlook the immediate re-addition, expecting a delay or more healthy checks.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
The healthyThreshold is 2, but the instance had only one healthy check after the failures, so it would not be re-added yet. However, the exhibit shows it is serving traffic, which contradicts this. Actually, the instance might have been removed and not re-added? The question says 'still serving traffic', so maybe the instance was never removed. The logs show two failures but then a success. The instance might still be considered healthy because the unhealthy threshold requires 2 consecutive failures, but the instance recovered before the second check? Wait, the second failure occurred at 10:00:21, so two consecutive failures. The instance should be marked unhealthy after 10:00:21. Then at 10:00:26 it is healthy. So it would be removed after 10:00:21 and then re-added after 10:00:26. The question implies it is still serving traffic, so it must have been re-added. Option B is correct.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In Google Cloud Platform, target pool health checks use `unhealthyThreshold` (default 2) to determine when to remove an instance, and `healthyThreshold` (default 2) to determine when to re-add it. The instance is removed after the second consecutive failure, but if it passes the next health check, it is re-added immediately, causing a brief removal and re-addition cycle that may not be noticeable in logs. This behavior is critical in auto-scaling scenarios where transient failures can cause flapping if thresholds are not tuned appropriately.
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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this PCA question in full detail.
Design and plan a cloud solution architecture — This question tests Design and plan a cloud solution architecture — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The instance was removed after the second failure but then re-added after the next healthy check, so it is serving traffic again. — Option D is correct because the instance was removed from the target pool after the second consecutive unhealthy health check, but it was immediately re-added after the next healthy health check. This happens when the health check's `unhealthyThreshold` is set to 2, meaning two consecutive failures trigger removal, but the instance then passes a subsequent health check, causing it to be re-added and resume serving traffic. The logs show the instance is still serving traffic because it was removed and then re-added within the same monitoring window.
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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