Courseiva
← PCD
Full test
Question 855 of 999
Integrating Google Cloud services →hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

GKE Persistent Storage with ReadWriteMany Volume — Google Professional Cloud Developer Explained

This PCD practice question tests your understanding of integrating google cloud services. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.

You are deploying a stateful application on GKE that requires persistent storage with high IOPS. You need to ensure that each pod can failover to a different node and still access the same data. Which volume type should you use?

Quick Answer

The answer is a PersistentVolumeClaim with ReadWriteMany. This is correct because ReadWriteMany (RWX) is the only access mode that allows multiple pods running on different nodes to mount and write to the same persistent storage volume simultaneously, which is essential for stateful failover where each pod must retain access to the same data after moving to a new node. On the Google Professional Cloud Developer exam, this question tests your understanding of Kubernetes volume access modes and their real-world implications for high-IOPS stateful workloads. A common trap is confusing ReadWriteOnce (RWO) with RWX—RWO restricts access to a single node, which would break failover. Remember the mnemonic: “RWX = Replicas Write across nodes” to recall that only ReadWriteMany supports multi-node concurrent writes.

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

✓

PersistentVolumeClaim with ReadWriteMany.

A PersistentVolumeClaim with ReadWriteMany (RWX) is correct because it allows multiple pods to mount the same volume simultaneously, enabling pod failover to different nodes while maintaining access to the same persistent data. This is essential for stateful applications requiring high IOPS, as RWX volumes (e.g., backed by Filestore or Cloud Filestore) provide shared, concurrent read-write access across nodes in GKE.

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.

  • ✗

    ConfigMap.

    Why it's wrong here

    ConfigMap is for configuration data, not storage.

  • ✓

    PersistentVolumeClaim with ReadWriteMany.

    Why this is correct

    ReadWriteMany allows access from multiple nodes, enabling failover.

    Related concept

    Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

  • ✗

    EmptyDir.

    Why it's wrong here

    EmptyDir is ephemeral and not suitable for persistent data.

  • ✗

    PersistentVolumeClaim with ReadWriteOnce.

    Why it's wrong here

    ReadWriteOnce limits access to one node.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates often confuse ReadWriteOnce (RWO) with the ability to failover in Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), but RWO locks the volume to a single node, preventing cross-node access, while ReadWriteMany (RWX) is required for multi-node failover.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Under the hood, ReadWriteMany volumes in GKE are typically backed by network file systems like NFS (e.g., Cloud Filestore) or distributed block storage (e.g., Portworx), which use protocols such as NFSv3 or NFSv4 to allow concurrent mounts across nodes. For high IOPS workloads, consider using SSD-backed Filestore tiers or third-party CSI drivers that support RWX with performance guarantees, as the default GCE Persistent Disk only supports RWO. In real-world scenarios, stateful applications like databases or content management systems often require RWX for active-passive failover patterns, but note that RWX may introduce latency due to network overhead compared to local RWO disks.

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 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.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

Related practice questions

Related PCD practice-question pages

Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.

Manage a Solution that Can Span Multiple Database Systems practice questions

Practise PCD questions linked to Manage a Solution that Can Span Multiple Database Systems.

Deploy Scalable and Highly Available Databases in Google Cloud practice questions

Practise PCD questions linked to Deploy Scalable and Highly Available Databases in Google Cloud.

Design Scalable and Highly Available Cloud Database Solutions practice questions

Practise PCD questions linked to Design Scalable and Highly Available Cloud Database Solutions.

Migrate Data Solutions practice questions

Practise PCD questions linked to Migrate Data Solutions.

Designing highly scalable, available, and reliable cloud-native applications practice questions

Practise PCD questions linked to Designing highly scalable, available, and reliable cloud-native applications.

Building and testing applications practice questions

Practise PCD questions linked to Building and testing applications.

Deploying applications practice questions

Practise PCD questions linked to Deploying applications.

Integrating Google Cloud services practice questions

Practise PCD questions linked to Integrating Google Cloud services.

Managing application performance monitoring practice questions

Practise PCD questions linked to Managing application performance monitoring.

PCD fundamentals practice questions

Practise PCD questions linked to PCD fundamentals.

PCD scenario practice questions

Practise PCD questions linked to PCD scenario.

PCD troubleshooting practice questions

Practise PCD questions linked to PCD troubleshooting.

Practice this exam

Start a free PCD practice session

Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.

10 questions20 questions30 questions50 questionsTimed 30
PCD practice-test guide →Study guide →Browse all practice tests

FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this PCD question test?

Integrating Google Cloud services — This question tests Integrating Google Cloud services — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: PersistentVolumeClaim with ReadWriteMany. — A PersistentVolumeClaim with ReadWriteMany (RWX) is correct because it allows multiple pods to mount the same volume simultaneously, enabling pod failover to different nodes while maintaining access to the same persistent data. This is essential for stateful applications requiring high IOPS, as RWX volumes (e.g., backed by Filestore or Cloud Filestore) provide shared, concurrent read-write access across nodes in GKE.

What should I do if I get this PCD 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.

About these practice questions

Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →

How Courseiva writes practice questions · Editorial policy

Keep practising

More PCD practice questions

Browse all PCD questions →

Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026

Question Discussion

Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.

Loading comments…

Sign in to join the discussion.

This PCD 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 PCD exam.