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 is running a batch process on a Compute Engine instance that needs to write logs to Cloud Logging. The instance uses the default Compute Engine service account. What must be done?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Ensure the instance's access scopes include logging.write
The default Compute Engine service account has the `logging.logWriter` role by default, but access scopes act as an additional permission layer on Compute Engine instances. Even if the IAM role is present, the instance must have the `logging.write` access scope enabled to allow the service account to write logs to Cloud Logging. Option A is correct because explicitly setting the access scope ensures the API call to `logging.write` is permitted at the instance level.
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.
✓
Ensure the instance's access scopes include logging.write
Why this is correct
Access scopes limit API access; logging.write scope must be set.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
No action needed, the default service account has logging write access
Why it's wrong here
The default scopes do not include logging.write; action is needed.
✗
Create a custom service account with the required roles
Why it's wrong here
Not necessary; the default account has the role.
✗
Add the Logging Admin role to the service account
Why it's wrong here
The default service account already has Editor, which includes logging write; the issue is scopes.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between IAM roles and access scopes, trapping candidates who assume that having the correct IAM role alone is sufficient for a Compute Engine instance to call an API.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Access scopes are legacy OAuth scopes that restrict which Google Cloud APIs an instance can call, acting as a coarse-grained filter before IAM permissions are evaluated. For example, if an instance has `https://www.googleapis.com/auth/logging.write` in its access scopes, the service account can write logs; if scopes are set to `cloud-platform` (full access), all APIs are allowed. In practice, using the `--scopes` flag when creating an instance or setting `scopes` in a Terraform configuration ensures the correct scope is applied, avoiding silent failures where logs are dropped without error.
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: Ensure the instance's access scopes include logging.write — The default Compute Engine service account has the `logging.logWriter` role by default, but access scopes act as an additional permission layer on Compute Engine instances. Even if the IAM role is present, the instance must have the `logging.write` access scope enabled to allow the service account to write logs to Cloud Logging. Option A is correct because explicitly setting the access scope ensures the API call to `logging.write` is permitted at the instance level.
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.
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Question Discussion
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