- A
Write a script that runs `gcloud services list --enabled` for each project ID returned by `gcloud projects list`.
Why wrong: This approach makes one API call per project — hundreds of serial API calls that are slow and risk hitting quotas. Cloud Asset Inventory provides organization-wide querying in a single call.
- B
Use Cloud Asset Inventory to search for `serviceusage.googleapis.com/Service` assets with state `ENABLED` and name matching `compute.googleapis.com`.
CAI indexes all GCP resource states organization-wide. A single `gcloud asset search-all-resources` or `analyzeOrgPolicy` call returns all matching assets across all projects without iterating.
- C
Check the Cloud Console's API library for each project manually.
Why wrong: Manual console inspection is not scalable across hundreds of projects and is not a programmatic solution.
- D
Query Cloud Billing export data in BigQuery for projects with Compute Engine line items.
Why wrong: Billing exports show spend, not API enablement state. A project could have the Compute API enabled with no spend, and billing data lags by up to 24 hours.
Quick Answer
The correct answer is to use Cloud Asset Inventory to search for `serviceusage.googleapis.com/Service` assets with state `ENABLED` and name matching `compute.googleapis.com`. This approach is the most efficient because Cloud Asset Inventory is purpose-built for scalable, organization-wide resource discovery, allowing you to query across hundreds of projects in a single API call without iterating project-by-project, which avoids latency and quota limits. On the Google Associate Cloud Engineer exam, this tests your understanding of centralized asset management versus scripting loops—a common trap is reaching for the Cloud Resource Manager or a custom script, but those methods are slower and less reliable at scale. The key insight is that Cloud Asset Inventory treats enabled APIs as searchable assets, so you can filter by resource type and state directly. Memory tip: think "Asset Inventory for asset-wide inventory"—if you need to find something across all projects, let the inventory do the searching, not your code.
Google ACE Setting up a cloud solution environment Practice Question
This ACE practice question tests your understanding of setting up a cloud solution environment. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
You have a GCP organization with hundreds of projects. You need to find all projects that have the `compute.googleapis.com` API enabled. Which approach provides the most efficient way to query this across all projects?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Use Cloud Asset Inventory to search for `serviceusage.googleapis.com/Service` assets with state `ENABLED` and name matching `compute.googleapis.com`.
Cloud Asset Inventory provides a scalable, API-driven way to query resources across all projects in an organization without iterating over each project. By searching for `serviceusage.googleapis.com/Service` assets with `state: ENABLED` and `name: compute.googleapis.com`, you can retrieve the exact list of projects with the Compute Engine API enabled in a single, efficient query. This avoids the latency and quota limitations of scripting against each project individually.
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.
- ✗
Write a script that runs `gcloud services list --enabled` for each project ID returned by `gcloud projects list`.
Why it's wrong here
This approach makes one API call per project — hundreds of serial API calls that are slow and risk hitting quotas. Cloud Asset Inventory provides organization-wide querying in a single call.
- ✓
Use Cloud Asset Inventory to search for `serviceusage.googleapis.com/Service` assets with state `ENABLED` and name matching `compute.googleapis.com`.
Why this is correct
CAI indexes all GCP resource states organization-wide. A single `gcloud asset search-all-resources` or `analyzeOrgPolicy` call returns all matching assets across all projects without iterating.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Check the Cloud Console's API library for each project manually.
Why it's wrong here
Manual console inspection is not scalable across hundreds of projects and is not a programmatic solution.
- ✗
Query Cloud Billing export data in BigQuery for projects with Compute Engine line items.
Why it's wrong here
Billing exports show spend, not API enablement state. A project could have the Compute API enabled with no spend, and billing data lags by up to 24 hours.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume the most straightforward scripting approach (Option A) is efficient, but Cisco tests whether you recognize that Cloud Asset Inventory is purpose-built for cross-project resource discovery without per-project API calls.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
Billing exports show spend, not API enablement state. A project could have the Compute API enabled with no spend, and billing data lags by up to 24 hours.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cloud Asset Inventory uses the `asset.v1` API to perform real-time or historical searches across organization, folder, and project scopes. The `serviceusage.googleapis.com/Service` asset type directly reflects the `services.list` method from the Service Usage API, but aggregated across the entire resource hierarchy. A subtle behavior is that the `name` field in the asset matches the fully qualified service name (e.g., `//serviceusage.googleapis.com/services/compute.googleapis.com`), so the query must use `name: compute.googleapis.com` as a substring match or the exact asset name.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this ACE question test?
Setting up a cloud solution environment — This question tests Setting up a cloud solution environment — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use Cloud Asset Inventory to search for `serviceusage.googleapis.com/Service` assets with state `ENABLED` and name matching `compute.googleapis.com`. — Cloud Asset Inventory provides a scalable, API-driven way to query resources across all projects in an organization without iterating over each project. By searching for `serviceusage.googleapis.com/Service` assets with `state: ENABLED` and `name: compute.googleapis.com`, you can retrieve the exact list of projects with the Compute Engine API enabled in a single, efficient query. This avoids the latency and quota limitations of scripting against each project individually.
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.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.
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