Google PCA Manage implementation of cloud architecture Practice Question
Your organization is using Google Cloud to host a web application that experiences unpredictable traffic spikes. You need to ensure the application scales automatically and maintains high availability across multiple zones. The application runs on Compute Engine instances behind a load balancer. What should you do?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse internal and external load balancers, or assuming that an unmanaged instance group can autoscale.
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
✓
Create a managed instance group with an autoscaling policy based on CPU utilization, and configure the group to span multiple zones. Place the instance group behind an external HTTP(S) load balancer.
A managed instance group with autoscaling and multi-zone deployment provides automatic scaling and high availability. An external HTTP(S) load balancer is designed for web traffic, offering global distribution and SSL termination. This combination meets the requirements for unpredictable traffic and multi-zone availability.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Create a managed instance group with an autoscaling policy based on CPU utilization, and configure the group to span multiple zones. Place the instance group behind an external HTTP(S) load balancer.
Why this is correct
A managed instance group with autoscaling automatically adjusts the number of instances based on load, and spanning multiple zones ensures high availability. An external HTTP(S) load balancer distributes traffic across instances and provides a single global IP, making this the correct solution for scaling and availability.
- ✗
Create an unmanaged instance group with instances in multiple zones, and manually add or remove instances based on traffic. Use a network load balancer to distribute traffic.
Why it's wrong here
An unmanaged instance group does not provide autoscaling; you must manually manage instances, which is not suitable for unpredictable traffic. A network load balancer operates at layer 4 and does not offer the same global load balancing and HTTP(S) features as an HTTP(S) load balancer, making this approach less effective.
- ✗
Deploy the application on a single Compute Engine instance with a powerful machine type, and use a global load balancer to direct traffic to it. Configure a health check to restart the instance if it fails.
Why it's wrong here
A single instance cannot scale automatically and represents a single point of failure, even with a load balancer and health checks. It does not provide high availability across zones and cannot handle unpredictable traffic spikes, as vertical scaling is limited and manual.
- ✗
Use a regional managed instance group with autoscaling, and place it behind an internal TCP/UDP load balancer. Configure the load balancer to distribute traffic across zones.
Why it's wrong here
An internal TCP/UDP load balancer is designed for internal traffic within a VPC, not for external web traffic. It does not provide a public IP address for users to access the application. While the managed instance group with autoscaling is appropriate, the load balancer choice is incorrect for an external web application.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Load Balancing and Autoscaling
Key term
HTTP
HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol, the set of rules web browsers and servers use to communicate and transfer web pages over the internet.
Key term
Instance group
An instance group is a collection of virtual machine instances that are managed as a single unit for scaling, load balancing, and lifecycle management in cloud computing.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Google Cloud exam blueprint
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.