The answer is `gcloud projects get-iam-policy [PROJECT_ID]`. This command is correct because it retrieves the complete IAM policy bindings for a specified project, displaying every role and its associated members, which directly answers the developer’s need to verify their current roles before requesting additional access. On the Google Associate Cloud Engineer exam, this tests your understanding of how to audit project-level permissions using the Cloud Resource Manager API, and a common trap is confusing it with `gcloud iam roles list`, which only lists predefined roles, not the actual bindings on a project. A reliable memory tip is to think of “get-iam-policy” as the command that fetches the entire policy document for a specific resource—project, folder, or organization—so when you need to see who has what, you always “get the policy.”
Google ACE Setting up a cloud solution environment Practice Question
This ACE practice question tests your understanding of setting up a cloud solution environment. 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 wants to verify which IAM roles they currently have on a specific GCP project before requesting additional access. Which gcloud command lists the IAM policy for a project?
Why wrong: `gcloud iam roles list` lists available IAM roles (custom and predefined) in a project — not the bindings showing which members have which roles.
B
gcloud projects get-iam-policy [PROJECT_ID]
This command returns the full IAM policy for the project in YAML or JSON format, showing all current member-role bindings.
C
gcloud auth list --project=[PROJECT_ID]
Why wrong: `gcloud auth list` shows authenticated accounts on the local machine — not IAM policy bindings for a project.
D
gcloud iam service-accounts get-iam-policy [PROJECT_ID]
Why wrong: `gcloud iam service-accounts get-iam-policy` retrieves the IAM policy of a specific service account resource — not the project-level policy.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
gcloud projects get-iam-policy [PROJECT_ID]
The correct command to retrieve the IAM policy for a GCP project is `gcloud projects get-iam-policy [PROJECT_ID]`. This command returns the complete IAM policy bindings (roles and members) for the specified project, allowing the developer to see which roles they currently have. It directly queries the Cloud Resource Manager API to fetch the project-level IAM policy.
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.
✗
gcloud iam roles list --project=[PROJECT_ID]
Why it's wrong here
`gcloud iam roles list` lists available IAM roles (custom and predefined) in a project — not the bindings showing which members have which roles.
✓
gcloud projects get-iam-policy [PROJECT_ID]
Why this is correct
This command returns the full IAM policy for the project in YAML or JSON format, showing all current member-role bindings.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
gcloud auth list --project=[PROJECT_ID]
Why it's wrong here
`gcloud auth list` shows authenticated accounts on the local machine — not IAM policy bindings for a project.
✗
gcloud iam service-accounts get-iam-policy [PROJECT_ID]
Why it's wrong here
`gcloud iam service-accounts get-iam-policy` retrieves the IAM policy of a specific service account resource — not the project-level policy.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between listing roles (available role definitions) and getting the IAM policy (actual role bindings), so candidates mistakenly choose `gcloud iam roles list` thinking it shows their assigned roles.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
`gcloud iam roles list` lists available IAM roles (custom and predefined) in a project — not the bindings showing which members have which roles.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The `gcloud projects get-iam-policy` command uses the `getIamPolicy` method of the Cloud Resource Manager API (v3) to retrieve the policy. The returned policy is a JSON/YAML representation of the IAM policy bindings, including conditions if any. In a real-world scenario, a developer might use this command to audit their own access before requesting additional permissions, ensuring they don't duplicate existing roles or violate least-privilege principles.
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.
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: gcloud projects get-iam-policy [PROJECT_ID] — The correct command to retrieve the IAM policy for a GCP project is `gcloud projects get-iam-policy [PROJECT_ID]`. This command returns the complete IAM policy bindings (roles and members) for the specified project, allowing the developer to see which roles they currently have. It directly queries the Cloud Resource Manager API to fetch the project-level IAM policy.
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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