Google PCA Manage implementation of cloud architecture Practice Question
Which THREE of the following are recommended practices when designing a highly available architecture on Google Cloud using multiple regions?
⚠ Common exam trap
Google Cloud often tests the misconception that a single regional managed instance group or a single VPN tunnel is sufficient for multi-region high availability, but the exam expects you to recognize that redundancy across regions and elimination of single points of failure are mandatory.
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
✓
Use a global external HTTP(S) load balancer with backend services in multiple regions
A global external HTTP(S) load balancer uses Google's global anycast IP and routes traffic to the closest healthy backend in any region, enabling cross-region failover and low latency. It automatically handles failover between regions when health checks detect backend failures. Option C is correct because Cloud Spanner provides built-in synchronous replication across regions for strong consistency and high availability, while cross-region replication for databases like Cloud SQL ensures data redundancy and automated failover. Option D is correct because health checks detect instance or service failures, Cloud DNS with weighted routing allows traffic distribution across regions, and automated failover ensures that if one region becomes unhealthy, traffic is rerouted to healthy regions.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Deploy Compute Engine instances in a single regional managed instance group
Why it's wrong here
Single region does not protect against regional failure.
- ✓
Use a global external HTTP(S) load balancer with backend services in multiple regions
Why this is correct
Routes traffic to the nearest healthy backend, providing multi-region HA.
- ✓
Use Cloud Spanner or cross-region replication for databases
Why this is correct
Provides data replication and consistency across regions.
- ✓
Implement health checks and automated failover using Cloud DNS with weighted routing
Why this is correct
Health-checked DNS with weighted routing can direct traffic away from unhealthy regions.
- ✗
Use a single Cloud VPN tunnel for connectivity between regions
Why it's wrong here
Single VPN is a single point of failure; use redundant tunnels.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to Google Cloud Platform
Key term
Cloud DNS
A managed domain name system service that translates human-readable domain names into IP addresses, enabling reliable and scalable network routing in cloud environments.
Key term
Cloud Spanner
Cloud Spanner is a fully managed, globally distributed relational database service from Google Cloud that combines the benefits of relational database structure with horizontal scalability and strong consistency.
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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.