- A
Stop the VM, resize the disk, take a snapshot, restart the VM.
Why wrong: Stopping the VM is unnecessary for disk resize on GCP. Also, taking a snapshot after resize doesn't save the pre-resize state for rollback.
- B
Snapshot the disk, resize the disk with `gcloud compute disks resize`, then grow the filesystem within the VM.
Snapshot first for safety → resize disk (online, no stop needed) → resize filesystem inside the VM with resize2fs. This is the correct, safe sequence.
- C
Resize the disk with `gcloud compute instances set-disk-auto-delete` to automatically expand the disk.
Why wrong: `set-disk-auto-delete` controls whether a disk is deleted when the VM is deleted — it has nothing to do with disk resizing.
- D
Create a new larger disk, attach it as a secondary disk, and move data using rsync.
Why wrong: This approach works but is more complex and error-prone than the simpler online disk resize + filesystem grow. It's also slower.
Quick Answer
The correct sequence is to snapshot the disk, resize it with `gcloud compute disks resize`, then grow the filesystem inside the VM. This order is critical because the snapshot creates a safe recovery point before any changes, the `gcloud compute disks resize` command can be applied to a running VM’s boot disk when live resize is enabled, and the final filesystem growth step is required to make the new space usable by the operating system. On the Google Associate Cloud Engineer exam, this scenario tests your understanding of online disk operations and the distinction between resizing the cloud resource and resizing the partition or filesystem—a common trap is forgetting the final grow step, which leaves the disk larger but the VM unable to use the space. To remember the sequence, think “Snap, Resize, Grow” like a three-step safety ladder: protect, provision, then partition.
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.
A Compute Engine VM's boot disk is nearly full and the application is failing. You want to snapshot the disk first (for safety), then resize it online. What is the correct sequence of gcloud commands?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"first"Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
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
Snapshot the disk, resize the disk with `gcloud compute disks resize`, then grow the filesystem within the VM.
Option B is correct because you must snapshot the disk first to ensure data safety before making changes, then resize the disk using `gcloud compute disks resize` (which works on a running VM with live resize enabled), and finally grow the filesystem inside the VM to utilize the additional space. This sequence avoids downtime and preserves a recovery point.
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.
- ✗
Stop the VM, resize the disk, take a snapshot, restart the VM.
Why it's wrong here
Stopping the VM is unnecessary for disk resize on GCP. Also, taking a snapshot after resize doesn't save the pre-resize state for rollback.
- ✓
Snapshot the disk, resize the disk with `gcloud compute disks resize`, then grow the filesystem within the VM.
Why this is correct
Snapshot first for safety → resize disk (online, no stop needed) → resize filesystem inside the VM with resize2fs. This is the correct, safe sequence.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Resize the disk with `gcloud compute instances set-disk-auto-delete` to automatically expand the disk.
Why it's wrong here
`set-disk-auto-delete` controls whether a disk is deleted when the VM is deleted — it has nothing to do with disk resizing.
- ✗
Create a new larger disk, attach it as a secondary disk, and move data using rsync.
Why it's wrong here
This approach works but is more complex and error-prone than the simpler online disk resize + filesystem grow. It's also slower.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume a VM must be stopped before resizing a boot disk, but Google Cloud supports live resize for most disk types, making the snapshot-then-resize-then-grow sequence the correct online approach.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Live disk resize in Compute Engine leverages the underlying hypervisor's ability to expand the virtual disk without detaching it, but the guest OS must support hot-resize (e.g., Linux with virtio-scsi or NVMe). After resizing, the filesystem must be grown using OS-specific tools like `resize2fs` for ext4 or `xfs_growfs` for XFS; failure to do so leaves the additional space unallocated. Snapshots are point-in-time, crash-consistent backups that capture the disk state before any changes, ensuring rollback capability.
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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Ensuring successful operation of a cloud solution — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Ensuring successful operation of a cloud solution practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All ACE questions
500 questions across all exam domains
- →
Google Associate Cloud Engineer study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
ACE practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
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.
Setting up a cloud solution environment practice questions
Practise ACE questions linked to Setting up a cloud solution environment.
Planning and configuring a cloud solution practice questions
Practise ACE questions linked to Planning and configuring a cloud solution.
Deploying and implementing a cloud solution practice questions
Practise ACE questions linked to Deploying and implementing a cloud solution.
Ensuring successful operation of a cloud solution practice questions
Practise ACE questions linked to Ensuring successful operation of a cloud solution.
Configuring access and security practice questions
Practise ACE questions linked to Configuring access and security.
ACE fundamentals practice questions
Practise ACE questions linked to ACE fundamentals.
ACE scenario practice questions
Practise ACE questions linked to ACE scenario.
ACE troubleshooting practice questions
Practise ACE questions linked to ACE troubleshooting.
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?
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: Snapshot the disk, resize the disk with `gcloud compute disks resize`, then grow the filesystem within the VM. — Option B is correct because you must snapshot the disk first to ensure data safety before making changes, then resize the disk using `gcloud compute disks resize` (which works on a running VM with live resize enabled), and finally grow the filesystem inside the VM to utilize the additional space. This sequence avoids downtime and preserves a recovery point.
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: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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 →
Keep practising
More ACE practice questions
- A team's Cloud Build pipeline must: (1) run unit tests, (2) build a Docker image only if tests pass, (3) push the image…
- A team needs a database backup job to run every day at 2 AM UTC. The job calls an HTTP endpoint to trigger the backup. T…
- A team wants to receive an email alert when the average CPU utilization of VMs in a managed instance group exceeds 80% f…
- A Go service is consuming significantly more CPU than expected. The team suspects an inefficient function but doesn't kn…
- A network team is creating a new VPC and must decide between auto mode and custom mode. Why would they choose custom mod…
- A company organizes its GCP projects by business unit — Finance, Engineering, and Sales. Which resource is best suited t…
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.