ACE Practice Question: A Cloud Run service needs to read secrets from…
This ACE practice question tests your understanding of a cloud run service needs to read secrets from…. 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 Cloud Run service needs to read secrets from Secret Manager. The service is deployed with a custom runtime service account. Which IAM role should be granted to the runtime service account, and on which resource?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
Distractor review
Grant `roles/secretmanager.secretVersionManager` on the secret.
secretVersionManager manages secret versions (add, disable, destroy) but does not grant access to read the secret value (access is a separate permission).
Distractor review
Grant `roles/secretmanager.admin` on the project.
secretmanager.admin grants full management access to all secrets — far more than read access to a single secret. This violates least privilege.
Best answer
Grant `roles/secretmanager.secretAccessor` on the specific secret resource.
secretAccessor on the specific secret resource grants exactly the `secretmanager.versions.access` permission needed to read the secret value, scoped to that one secret only.
Distractor review
Grant `roles/viewer` on the project.
Project Viewer does not include `secretmanager.versions.access` — it grants read access to most resource metadata but not secret content.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: authentication is not authorization
Logging in proves the user can authenticate. It does not automatically mean the user is allowed to enter privileged or configuration mode. Watch for AAA authorization, privilege level and command authorization details.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
This kind of question is testing the difference between identity and permission. A user may successfully log in to a router because authentication is working, but still fail to enter configuration mode because authorization is missing, misconfigured or mapped to a lower privilege level.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Authentication checks who the user is.
- Authorization controls what the user is allowed to do after login.
- Privilege levels affect access to EXEC and configuration commands.
- AAA, TACACS+ and RADIUS can separate login success from command access.
TExam Day Tips
- Do not assume successful login means full administrative access.
- Look for words such as cannot enter configuration mode, privilege level, authorization or command access.
- Separate login problems from permission problems before choosing the answer.
Key takeaway
Authentication proves identity; authorization controls what that identity can do after login. Both must work for full privileged access.
Related practice questions
Related ACE practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
What is the correct order of the Google Cloud resource hierarchy from highest to lowest level?
Question 2
A compliance archive stores legal documents accessed at most once per quarter. Which Cloud Storage class minimizes storage cost while meeting that access pattern?
Question 3
Which gcloud command creates a Compute Engine VM named 'web-01' using the e2-medium machine type in zone us-central1-a?
Question 4
A team wants to receive an email alert when the average CPU utilization of VMs in a managed instance group exceeds 80% for more than 5 minutes. What should they create in Cloud Monitoring?
Question 5
A junior developer needs read-only access to all GCP resources in a project. Which IAM role grants the minimum permissions required?
Question 6
A startup creates its first Google Cloud project. Before deploying any paid resources, what must be linked to the project?
Practice this exam
Start a free ACE practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this ACE question test?
Authentication checks who the user is.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Grant `roles/secretmanager.secretAccessor` on the specific secret resource. — To access a specific secret in Secret Manager, the identity needs `secretmanager.versions.access` permission (included in `roles/secretmanager.secretAccessor`). Granting this role on the specific secret resource (not the project) follows the principle of least privilege — the service account can only access that one secret, not all secrets in the project.
What should I do if I get this ACE question wrong?
Review Cisco AAA concepts — authentication, authorization, and accounting. Study privilege levels (0–15), command authorization under TACACS+, and how RADIUS differs. Then practise related ACE questions on access control and AAA configuration.
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 →
Discussion
Sign in to join the discussion.
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.