Google ACE Configuring access and security Practice Question
This ACE practice question tests your understanding of configuring access and security. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 developer accidentally assigned the 'roles/editor' role to a user for a project. After revoking the role, the user still has permissions to modify resources. What is the most likely reason?
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 user is a member of a group that still has editor role.
The most likely reason is that the user is a member of a Google Group that still has the 'roles/editor' role assigned at the project level. In Google Cloud IAM, permissions are inherited from group memberships, and revoking a role from a user directly does not remove permissions granted through group bindings. The user's effective permissions are the union of all roles assigned directly and indirectly via groups.
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 user is a member of a group that still has editor role.
Why this is correct
Group membership persists after direct role revocation, so the user retains permissions via the group.
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 user has been granted owner role through another binding.
Why it's wrong here
Owner role would be visible in IAM and is not inherited indirectly.
✗
The role revocation takes up to 24 hours to propagate.
Why it's wrong here
IAM changes propagate quickly, usually within minutes.
✗
The user has a more specific role that grants the same permissions.
Why it's wrong here
A specific role would grant granular permissions, not the broad editor permissions.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the misconception that IAM changes have a propagation delay, but in Google Cloud, IAM policy updates are near-instantaneous, and the real cause of lingering permissions is almost always inherited access through groups or resource hierarchy.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Google Cloud IAM uses a resource hierarchy (organization, folders, projects) where policies are inherited downward. When a user is a member of a group, the group's IAM bindings are evaluated as part of the user's effective access. The `getIamPolicy` API returns the union of all roles from direct user bindings and group memberships, and revocation only removes the direct binding. In real-world scenarios, this often catches administrators off guard when they remove a user from a project but forget to check group memberships, leading to persistent access.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this ACE question in full detail.
Configuring access and security — This question tests Configuring access and security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The user is a member of a group that still has editor role. — The most likely reason is that the user is a member of a Google Group that still has the 'roles/editor' role assigned at the project level. In Google Cloud IAM, permissions are inherited from group memberships, and revoking a role from a user directly does not remove permissions granted through group bindings. The user's effective permissions are the union of all roles assigned directly and indirectly via groups.
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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