PDE Storing the Data Practice Question
An organization wants to enforce that data in a Cloud Storage bucket cannot be deleted or overwritten for 7 years due to regulatory compliance. Which Cloud Storage feature should they use?
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
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Retention Policy with Bucket Lock
Retention Policy with a retention period ensures objects cannot be deleted or overwritten during that period. Bucket Lock makes the policy permanent. Object holds are per-object. Lifecycle management automates transitions/deletions, opposite of retention.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Retention Policy with Bucket Lock
Why this is correct
A retention policy combined with Bucket Lock prevents objects from being deleted or overwritten until the retention period expires, enforcing immutability for the full seven years. This satisfies the regulatory requirement, whereas lifecycle rules and versioning permit deletion or alteration.
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IAM conditions
Why it's wrong here
IAM conditions restrict who may perform actions based on attributes such as IP range or time, but they govern access, not retention. They suit least-privilege access control. The stem requires data itself to resist deletion or overwrite for seven years, which a bucket lock or retention policy enforces.
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Object Lifecycle Management
Why it's wrong here
Object Lifecycle Management transitions or deletes objects according to age rules, so it actively removes data rather than protecting it. It suits cost optimisation by moving cold data to cheaper storage. The stem requires immutability for seven years, which a retention policy or bucket lock provides.
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Object holds
Why it's wrong here
Object holds are temporary, manually applied flags that prevent deletion or replacement until removed, and they are not time-bound to a fixed retention period. A bucket lock with a retention policy enforces the seven-year immutability. Object holds suit legal-hold scenarios where release depends on case closure, not a regulatory duration.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PDE 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 PDE exam.