- A
Enable Cloud SQL high availability; the standby replica will serve read traffic.
Why wrong: Cloud SQL HA's standby instance is for failover only — it does not serve read traffic. Only dedicated read replicas can serve read queries.
- B
Create Cloud SQL read replicas and route read queries to the replica endpoint.
Read replicas receive replicated data from the primary and serve SELECT queries. Application code only needs different connection strings for reads vs. writes — minimal changes.
- C
Scale the primary Cloud SQL instance vertically to a larger machine type.
Why wrong: Vertical scaling has a ceiling and addresses all traffic on one instance. Read replicas horizontally scale read capacity and are specifically designed for read-heavy workloads.
- D
Migrate from Cloud SQL to Cloud Spanner for unlimited horizontal read scalability.
Why wrong: Spanner is a valid long-term solution but requires significant migration effort (schema redesign, application rewrite). Read replicas solve the immediate problem with minimal disruption.
Quick Answer
The answer is to create Cloud SQL read replicas and route read queries to the replica endpoint. This is correct because read replicas are a GCP-native solution that directly addresses CPU saturation on the primary instance by offloading the 95% read traffic to separate read-only copies, while writes remain on the primary—all without requiring application code changes beyond pointing SELECT queries to a different IP address. On the Google Associate Cloud Engineer exam, this scenario tests your understanding of horizontal scaling for read-heavy workloads, often appearing as a trap where candidates mistakenly choose connection pooling or instance resizing, which either don’t scale reads or require code changes. The key memory tip is “reads go to replicas, writes stay on the primary”—if the workload is read-heavy, replicas are the first tool to reach for.
Google ACE Planning and configuring a cloud solution Practice Question
This ACE practice question tests your understanding of planning and configuring a cloud solution. Compare every option against the stated constraints before choosing — the best answer satisfies all requirements, not just the most obvious one. 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 e-commerce application has a read-heavy database workload: 95% reads, 5% writes. The primary Cloud SQL instance is experiencing CPU saturation during peak read traffic. What is the most appropriate GCP-native solution that minimizes changes to application code?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"primary"Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
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
Create Cloud SQL read replicas and route read queries to the replica endpoint.
B is correct because Cloud SQL read replicas are designed to offload read traffic from the primary instance, directly addressing CPU saturation during peak reads without requiring application code changes—simply route SELECT queries to the read replica's IP address. This is the most appropriate GCP-native solution for a read-heavy (95% reads) workload, as it horizontally scales read capacity while keeping writes on the primary.
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.
- ✗
Enable Cloud SQL high availability; the standby replica will serve read traffic.
Why it's wrong here
Cloud SQL HA's standby instance is for failover only — it does not serve read traffic. Only dedicated read replicas can serve read queries.
- ✓
Create Cloud SQL read replicas and route read queries to the replica endpoint.
Why this is correct
Read replicas receive replicated data from the primary and serve SELECT queries. Application code only needs different connection strings for reads vs. writes — minimal changes.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Scale the primary Cloud SQL instance vertically to a larger machine type.
Why it's wrong here
Vertical scaling has a ceiling and addresses all traffic on one instance. Read replicas horizontally scale read capacity and are specifically designed for read-heavy workloads.
- ✗
Migrate from Cloud SQL to Cloud Spanner for unlimited horizontal read scalability.
Why it's wrong here
Spanner is a valid long-term solution but requires significant migration effort (schema redesign, application rewrite). Read replicas solve the immediate problem with minimal disruption.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse Cloud SQL HA standby replicas with read replicas, assuming the standby can serve reads, when in fact HA standby replicas are passive and only used for automatic failover.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cloud SQL read replicas use asynchronous replication (MySQL uses binary log-based replication; PostgreSQL uses streaming replication) to maintain a near-real-time copy of the primary. During peak read traffic, you can distribute SELECT queries across multiple read replicas using a load balancer or application-level routing, while all writes still go to the primary—this effectively decouples read and write paths. A subtle behavior: read replicas may lag behind the primary by milliseconds to seconds, so applications that require read-after-write consistency must use the primary for those specific queries or implement session-level consistency checks.
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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this ACE question test?
Planning and configuring a cloud solution — This question tests Planning and configuring a cloud solution — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create Cloud SQL read replicas and route read queries to the replica endpoint. — B is correct because Cloud SQL read replicas are designed to offload read traffic from the primary instance, directly addressing CPU saturation during peak reads without requiring application code changes—simply route SELECT queries to the read replica's IP address. This is the most appropriate GCP-native solution for a read-heavy (95% reads) workload, as it horizontally scales read capacity while keeping writes on the primary.
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: "primary". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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