Google ACE Practice Question: Ensuring successful operation of a cloud solution
This ACE practice question tests your understanding of ensuring successful operation of 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.
An organization has deployed a Compute Engine VM instance running a web server. The web server is not responding to HTTP requests from the internet. The firewall rules allow ingress traffic on port 80 and 443 from any source (0.0.0.0/0). The VM has a public IP address and is in a VPC network with default subnets. What is the most likely cause of the issue?
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 web server service is not running on the VM.
Option B is correct because the most likely cause of the web server not responding to HTTP requests, despite correct firewall rules and a public IP, is that the web server service (e.g., Apache, Nginx) is not running on the VM. Firewall rules only control network traffic; they do not ensure that the application process is listening on the specified ports. A simple `sudo systemctl status apache2` or `netstat -tlnp` would confirm whether the service is active.
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 VM does not have an HTTP health check configured.
Why it's wrong here
Health checks are used by load balancers, not required for direct access.
✓
The web server service is not running on the VM.
Why this is correct
If the web server process is not running, it will not respond to HTTP requests.
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 VPC network's default firewall rule blocks ingress traffic.
Why it's wrong here
Default firewall rule allows egress but ingress is allowed by the custom rule.
✗
The VM is not in the same region as the global load balancer.
Why it's wrong here
There is no load balancer mentioned; region is irrelevant.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the misconception that firewall rules alone guarantee application availability, when in fact the application service must be running and listening on the correct port.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
When a Compute Engine VM has a public IP and correct firewall rules, the network path is open, but the OS-level service must be listening on the expected port. Use `ss -tlnp` or `netstat -tlnp` to verify that the web server process (e.g., httpd, nginx) is bound to 0.0.0.0:80. A common real-world scenario is that the web server fails to start due to a configuration error, a missing dependency, or a system reboot, leaving the port unresponsive even though the VM is healthy.
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.
Ensuring successful operation of a cloud solution — This question tests Ensuring successful operation of 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 web server service is not running on the VM. — Option B is correct because the most likely cause of the web server not responding to HTTP requests, despite correct firewall rules and a public IP, is that the web server service (e.g., Apache, Nginx) is not running on the VM. Firewall rules only control network traffic; they do not ensure that the application process is listening on the specified ports. A simple `sudo systemctl status apache2` or `netstat -tlnp` would confirm whether the service is active.
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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