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Designing, planning, and prototyping a GCP network →hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

PCNE Practice Question: Designing, planning, and prototyping a GCP network

This PCNE practice question tests your understanding of designing, planning, and prototyping a gcp network. 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.

Exhibit

Refer to the exhibit.

```
gcloud compute networks subnets describe subnet-a --region us-central1
creationTimestamp: '2024-01-15T10:00:00.000-08:00'
description: ''
enableFlowLogs: false
gatewayAddress: 10.0.0.1
id: '123456789'
ipCidrRange: 10.0.0.0/24
kind: compute#subnetwork
logConfig: null
name: subnet-a
network: https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/my-project/global/networks/vpc-1
privateIpGoogleAccess: false
purpose: PRIVATE
region: https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/my-project/regions/us-central1
role: null
secondaryIpRanges: []
selfLink: https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/my-project/regions/us-central1/subnetworks/subnet-a
state: READY
```

A network engineer is troubleshooting connectivity from a Compute Engine instance in subnet-a to a Google Cloud Storage bucket. The instance has no external IP address. Based on the exhibit, what is the most likely cause of the connectivity issue?

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.

Question 1hardmultiple choice
Review the full subnetting walkthrough →

Exhibit

Refer to the exhibit.

```
gcloud compute networks subnets describe subnet-a --region us-central1
creationTimestamp: '2024-01-15T10:00:00.000-08:00'
description: ''
enableFlowLogs: false
gatewayAddress: 10.0.0.1
id: '123456789'
ipCidrRange: 10.0.0.0/24
kind: compute#subnetwork
logConfig: null
name: subnet-a
network: https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/my-project/global/networks/vpc-1
privateIpGoogleAccess: false
purpose: PRIVATE
region: https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/my-project/regions/us-central1
role: null
secondaryIpRanges: []
selfLink: https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/my-project/regions/us-central1/subnetworks/subnet-a
state: READY
```

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

✓

Private Google Access is disabled on the subnet.

The instance has no external IP address, so it must use Private Google Access to reach Google APIs and services like Cloud Storage. Private Google Access is enabled at the subnet level; if it is disabled, the instance cannot route traffic to the Google API VIPs through the default route (0.0.0.0/0) without a NAT gateway or external IP. Option B correctly identifies this as the most likely cause.

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 subnet purpose is PRIVATE, which blocks Google APIs.

    Why it's wrong here

    Purpose PRIVATE is standard for regular subnets.

  • ✓

    Private Google Access is disabled on the subnet.

    Why this is correct

    Private Google Access must be enabled for instances without external IPs to access Google APIs.

    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.

  • ✗

    The subnet CIDR range is too small.

    Why it's wrong here

    The /24 range is sufficient for typical use.

  • ✗

    Flow logs are disabled, so traffic is not logged.

    Why it's wrong here

    Flow logs are for monitoring, not enabling connectivity.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates may assume a private subnet inherently blocks all external traffic, but Private Google Access is a separate, optional subnet setting that must be explicitly enabled for instances without external IPs to reach Google APIs.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Private Google Access works by enabling the VPC's default route (0.0.0.0/0) to forward traffic destined for Google API IP ranges (e.g., 199.36.153.8/30 for restricted.googleapis.com) through the Google Cloud's private backbone, bypassing the public internet. This requires the subnet to have the privateIpGoogleAccess flag set to true, and the instance must use a route that points to the default internet gateway (which is actually a proxy for Google APIs). Without an external IP, the instance relies on this mechanism to reach storage.googleapis.com.

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.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this PCNE question test?

Designing, planning, and prototyping a GCP network — This question tests Designing, planning, and prototyping a GCP network — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Private Google Access is disabled on the subnet. — The instance has no external IP address, so it must use Private Google Access to reach Google APIs and services like Cloud Storage. Private Google Access is enabled at the subnet level; if it is disabled, the instance cannot route traffic to the Google API VIPs through the default route (0.0.0.0/0) without a NAT gateway or external IP. Option B correctly identifies this as the most likely cause.

What should I do if I get this PCNE question wrong?

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

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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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026

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This PCNE 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 PCNE exam.