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. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.
The exhibit shows a command to create a Compute Engine instance. The instance is intended to run a web server that needs to access Cloud Storage buckets using its service account. However, the web server fails to read from a storage bucket. What is the most likely cause?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
The service account is not attached to the instance
Why wrong: The service account is attached to the instance (as shown by the --scopes flag), so this is not the cause.
B
The tags http-server and https-server block outbound traffic
Why wrong: pd-ssd is a valid boot disk type and does not affect Cloud Storage access.
C
The boot disk type is SSD, which is not compatible with Cloud Storage
Why wrong: The tags http-server and https-server are used for firewall rules, not for storage access.
D
The service account lacks IAM permissions to read from Cloud Storage
Even with the service account attached, it must have IAM permissions (e.g., roles/storage.objectViewer) to read from Cloud Storage. Lack of those permissions is the likely cause.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The service account lacks IAM permissions to read from Cloud Storage
Option D is correct: The web server fails to read from Cloud Storage because the service account attached to the Compute Engine instance lacks the necessary IAM permissions (e.g., roles/storage.objectViewer) on the storage bucket. Although the command includes --scopes=cloud-platform, which grants broad API access, IAM permissions are distinct from OAuth scopes. The service account must be granted explicit IAM roles to access Cloud Storage resources. Option A is incorrect because a service account is specified and attached via --service-account. Option B is incorrect because the boot disk type (pd-ssd) is compatible and does not affect storage access. Option C is incorrect because the tags http-server and https-server are used for firewall rules and do not impact outbound traffic to Cloud Storage.
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 service account is not attached to the instance
Why it's wrong here
The service account is attached to the instance (as shown by the --scopes flag), so this is not the cause.
✗
The tags http-server and https-server block outbound traffic
Why it's wrong here
pd-ssd is a valid boot disk type and does not affect Cloud Storage access.
✗
The boot disk type is SSD, which is not compatible with Cloud Storage
Why it's wrong here
The tags http-server and https-server are used for firewall rules, not for storage access.
✓
The service account lacks IAM permissions to read from Cloud Storage
Why this is correct
Even with the service account attached, it must have IAM permissions (e.g., roles/storage.objectViewer) to read from Cloud Storage. Lack of those permissions is the likely cause.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
The service account is attached to the instance (as shown by the --scopes flag), so this is not the cause.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this PCA question in full detail.
Identify which PCA exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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 service account lacks IAM permissions to read from Cloud Storage — Option D is correct: The web server fails to read from Cloud Storage because the service account attached to the Compute Engine instance lacks the necessary IAM permissions (e.g., roles/storage.objectViewer) on the storage bucket. Although the command includes --scopes=cloud-platform, which grants broad API access, IAM permissions are distinct from OAuth scopes. The service account must be granted explicit IAM roles to access Cloud Storage resources. Option A is incorrect because a service account is specified and attached via --service-account. Option B is incorrect because the boot disk type (pd-ssd) is compatible and does not affect storage access. Option C is incorrect because the tags http-server and https-server are used for firewall rules and do not impact outbound traffic to Cloud Storage.
What should I do if I get this PCA question wrong?
Identify which PCA exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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