Google ACE Planning and configuring a cloud solution Practice Question
This ACE practice question tests your understanding of planning and configuring a cloud solution. 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.
A company is implementing cost optimization for their Google Cloud resources. Which two practices are recommended? (Choose two.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use committed use discounts for predictable workloads.
Committed use discounts (CUDs) are recommended for cost optimization because they provide significant discounts (up to 70% for vCPUs and memory) in exchange for a commitment to use a minimum level of resources (e.g., 1-year or 3-year term) for predictable workloads. This aligns costs with actual usage patterns, reducing waste from on-demand pricing. Deleting unused static external IP addresses is also recommended because each static IP incurs a small hourly charge (e.g., $0.005/hour for a regional IP) even when not attached to a resource, so removing them eliminates unnecessary costs.
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.
✗
Keep all resources in a single region to avoid data transfer costs.
Why it's wrong here
Single region limits availability and may not be optimal for global users.
✗
Always use premium-tier networking for all traffic.
Why it's wrong here
Premium tier is more expensive; standard tier is cheaper for many cases.
✓
Use committed use discounts for predictable workloads.
Why this is correct
CUDs provide significant discounts for stable usage.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use preemptible VMs for all batch jobs irrespective of fault tolerance.
Why it's wrong here
Preemptible VMs can be terminated, so they are not suitable for jobs that must complete.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume 'single region' avoids all data transfer costs (ignoring cross-zone charges) or that preemptible VMs are safe for any batch job, but the ACE exam tests the nuance that preemptible VMs require fault tolerance and that static IPs have ongoing costs even when idle.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Committed use discounts apply to specific machine series (e.g., N2, C2) and are applied at the project level, automatically discounting eligible usage; they cannot be applied to preemptible VMs or GPUs unless separately committed. Static external IP addresses are billed at $0.005/hour for regional and $0.007/hour for global, and even if reserved but unused, they incur charges—Google Cloud's billing system tracks this via the 'compute.googleapis.com/external_ip_charge' metric. A real-world scenario: a company running a 24/7 web server with predictable traffic can save 57% on vCPU costs with a 1-year CUD, while forgetting to release a static IP from a decommissioned load balancer costs ~$43.80/year unnecessarily.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this ACE question in full detail.
Planning and configuring a cloud solution — This question tests Planning and configuring a cloud solution — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use committed use discounts for predictable workloads. — Committed use discounts (CUDs) are recommended for cost optimization because they provide significant discounts (up to 70% for vCPUs and memory) in exchange for a commitment to use a minimum level of resources (e.g., 1-year or 3-year term) for predictable workloads. This aligns costs with actual usage patterns, reducing waste from on-demand pricing. Deleting unused static external IP addresses is also recommended because each static IP incurs a small hourly charge (e.g., $0.005/hour for a regional IP) even when not attached to a resource, so removing them eliminates unnecessary costs.
What should I do if I get this ACE 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 →
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.
This ACE 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 ACE exam.
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.
Sign in to join the discussion.