- A
Configure a separate Spanner instance for European traffic and split the database.
Why wrong: Splitting the database would complicate global transactions and is not required. Multi-region configuration is designed to handle global traffic with a single instance.
- B
Add more read-write replicas in the European region.
Why wrong: Adding more read-write replicas does not directly reduce read latency; reads can be served by any replica. The leader region determines write commit location, not read latency.
- C
Use a regional Spanner instance in Europe coupled with a copy of the data in Bigtable.
Why wrong: This would introduce data inconsistency and additional complexity. Spanner multi-region handles both reads and writes globally.
- D
Set the leader region to Europe (e.g., eur3).
Setting the leader region to Europe ensures that writes are committed in Europe, which reduces write latency for European traffic. Read-only replicas in other regions can serve reads with low latency without affecting write availability.
PCDOE Practice Question: Design for Reliability, Scalability, and Disaster Recovery
This PCDOE practice question tests your understanding of design for reliability, scalability, and disaster recovery. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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.
A global e-commerce platform uses Cloud Spanner in multi-region configuration. The application writes a significant portion of traffic from Europe and requires the lowest read latency in that region. Which configuration step should be taken to minimise read latency in Europe while maintaining write availability?
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
Set the leader region to Europe (e.g., eur3).
In Spanner multi-region, the leader region determines where writes are committed. Setting the leader region to Europe ensures that writes are committed there, which reduces write latency for European traffic. Read-only replicas in other regions can serve reads with low latency without affecting write availability. Adding more read replicas in Europe would not reduce latency if the leader region is elsewhere. The number of read-write replicas does not directly reduce read latency. Splitting the database would not help for a single database.
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.
- ✗
Configure a separate Spanner instance for European traffic and split the database.
Why it's wrong here
Splitting the database would complicate global transactions and is not required. Multi-region configuration is designed to handle global traffic with a single instance.
- ✗
Add more read-write replicas in the European region.
Why it's wrong here
Adding more read-write replicas does not directly reduce read latency; reads can be served by any replica. The leader region determines write commit location, not read latency.
- ✗
Use a regional Spanner instance in Europe coupled with a copy of the data in Bigtable.
Why it's wrong here
This would introduce data inconsistency and additional complexity. Spanner multi-region handles both reads and writes globally.
- ✓
Set the leader region to Europe (e.g., eur3).
Why this is correct
Setting the leader region to Europe ensures that writes are committed in Europe, which reduces write latency for European traffic. Read-only replicas in other regions can serve reads with low latency without affecting write availability.
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.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which PCDOE 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.
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Design for Reliability, Scalability, and Disaster Recovery — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCDOE question test?
Design for Reliability, Scalability, and Disaster Recovery — This question tests Design for Reliability, Scalability, and Disaster Recovery — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Set the leader region to Europe (e.g., eur3). — In Spanner multi-region, the leader region determines where writes are committed. Setting the leader region to Europe ensures that writes are committed there, which reduces write latency for European traffic. Read-only replicas in other regions can serve reads with low latency without affecting write availability. Adding more read replicas in Europe would not reduce latency if the leader region is elsewhere. The number of read-write replicas does not directly reduce read latency. Splitting the database would not help for a single database.
What should I do if I get this PCDOE question wrong?
Identify which PCDOE 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.
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 →
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This PCDOE 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 PCDOE exam.
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