Google ACE Planning and configuring a cloud solution Practice Question
This ACE practice question tests your understanding of planning and configuring a cloud solution. 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.
A Compute Engine instance cannot connect to a Cloud SQL (MySQL) instance using the private IP address. Both are in the same Google Cloud VPC network. What is the most likely cause?
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.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The VPC network is not peered with the Cloud SQL service.
When a Compute Engine instance cannot connect to a Cloud SQL instance using a private IP address within the same VPC network, the most likely cause is that the VPC network is not peered with the Cloud SQL service. Cloud SQL uses a separate, Google-managed VPC for its instances, and private connectivity requires a VPC peering connection between the customer's VPC and the Cloud SQL service's VPC. Without this peering, the private IP address of the Cloud SQL instance is not routable from the Compute Engine instance, even if both are in the same VPC network.
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 Cloud SQL instance is not in the same region.
Why it's wrong here
Cloud SQL private IP can be accessed from any region if VPC peering is set up.
✗
The Compute Engine instance lacks an external IP address.
Why it's wrong here
Private IP access does not require an external IP.
✓
The VPC network is not peered with the Cloud SQL service.
Why this is correct
Private IP for Cloud SQL requires a VPC peering between the consumer VPC and the Cloud SQL service network.
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 firewall rule does not allow ingress on port 3306.
Why it's wrong here
Cloud SQL private IP automatically allows traffic from the VPC, so no firewall rule is needed.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume that being in the same VPC network guarantees private IP connectivity, but Cloud SQL requires explicit VPC peering with the Google-managed service network, not just co-location in the same VPC.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Cloud SQL instances are hosted in a Google-managed tenant project with its own VPC, and private IP connectivity is achieved through VPC Network Peering (using the 'servicenetworking.googleapis.com' service). This peering creates a route exchange between the customer's VPC and the Cloud SQL service's VPC, enabling private IP communication. A common subtlety is that the peering must be in an 'ACTIVE' state and the customer's VPC must not have overlapping IP ranges with the Cloud SQL service's allocated IP range (typically a /24 subnet). In real-world scenarios, misconfigured peering or missing the 'Private services access' setup is a frequent cause of such connectivity issues.
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: The VPC network is not peered with the Cloud SQL service. — When a Compute Engine instance cannot connect to a Cloud SQL instance using a private IP address within the same VPC network, the most likely cause is that the VPC network is not peered with the Cloud SQL service. Cloud SQL uses a separate, Google-managed VPC for its instances, and private connectivity requires a VPC peering connection between the customer's VPC and the Cloud SQL service's VPC. Without this peering, the private IP address of the Cloud SQL instance is not routable from the Compute Engine instance, even if both are in the same VPC network.
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: "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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Question Discussion
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