Google ACE Planning and configuring a cloud solution Practice Question
This ACE practice question tests your understanding of planning and configuring a cloud solution. 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 company uses preemptible VMs for batch processing. Which TWO best practices should be implemented to improve resilience and manageability? (Choose 2)
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use instance metadata to pass configuration parameters.
Option B is correct because instance metadata is a key-value store that can be used to pass configuration parameters to preemptible VMs at boot time. Since preemptible VMs can be terminated at any time, using metadata ensures that new instances can be recreated with the same configuration without manual intervention. This improves manageability by centralizing configuration and resilience by enabling automated re-provisioning.
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.
✗
Use persistent disks to store application state.
Why it's wrong here
Persistent disks may not be cleaned up and cost extra; state should be externalized.
✓
Use instance metadata to pass configuration parameters.
Why this is correct
Metadata allows dynamic configuration without modifying the image.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use Cloud Functions to monitor instance termination.
Why it's wrong here
Monitoring is useful but not a top best practice; consider using Cloud Audit Logs.
✓
Use startup scripts to prepare the instance environment.
Why this is correct
Startup scripts automate setup each time an instance starts, essential for preemptible VMs.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use persistent disk snapshots for backup.
Why it's wrong here
Snapshots are for persistent disks, not suitable for ephemeral preemptible VMs.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the misconception that persistent disks or snapshots are needed for resilience with preemptible VMs, but the correct approach is to treat them as stateless and use external storage for state, with metadata and startup scripts for configuration and initialization.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Preemptible VMs are Compute Engine instances that last up to 24 hours and can be terminated at any time with a 30-second warning. Using instance metadata (via the metadata server at 169.254.169.254) allows startup scripts to fetch configuration dynamically, enabling stateless design. Startup scripts (option D) are executed on every boot, making them ideal for initializing the environment, installing dependencies, and pulling work from a queue, which together ensure the VM can resume processing after preemption without manual intervention.
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
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.
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 instance metadata to pass configuration parameters. — Option B is correct because instance metadata is a key-value store that can be used to pass configuration parameters to preemptible VMs at boot time. Since preemptible VMs can be terminated at any time, using metadata ensures that new instances can be recreated with the same configuration without manual intervention. This improves manageability by centralizing configuration and resilience by enabling automated re-provisioning.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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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
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