Cloud Digital Leader Fundamental cloud concepts Practice Question
This GCDL practice question tests your understanding of fundamental cloud concepts. 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 company runs a batch processing job every night that takes 6 hours on a fixed number of virtual machines. They want to reduce costs without increasing job duration. Which strategy should they use?
Preemptible VMs are much cheaper and can handle batch jobs if the job is fault-tolerant.
B
Increase the number of VMs
Why wrong: More VMs increase cost, and may even reduce job duration but not the requirement.
C
Purchase committed use contracts
Why wrong: Committed use contracts provide discounts for 1- or 3-year commitments, but for a nightly batch job, preemptible VMs are more cost-effective.
D
Use larger persistent disks
Why wrong: Larger disks increase cost without reducing compute cost.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use preemptible VMs
Option C is correct because preemptible VMs are up to 80% cheaper and suitable for fault-tolerant batch jobs. Option A is wrong because persistent disks add cost. Option B is wrong because more VMs increase cost. Option D is wrong because it is a reserved capacity commitment, which is for predictable workloads and not cheaper for short jobs.
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.
✓
Use preemptible VMs
Why this is correct
Preemptible VMs are much cheaper and can handle batch jobs if the job is fault-tolerant.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Increase the number of VMs
Why it's wrong here
More VMs increase cost, and may even reduce job duration but not the requirement.
✗
Purchase committed use contracts
Why it's wrong here
Committed use contracts provide discounts for 1- or 3-year commitments, but for a nightly batch job, preemptible VMs are more cost-effective.
✗
Use larger persistent disks
Why it's wrong here
Larger disks increase cost without reducing compute cost.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this GCDL question in full detail.
Identify which GCDL exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Fundamental cloud concepts — This question tests Fundamental cloud concepts — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use preemptible VMs — Option C is correct because preemptible VMs are up to 80% cheaper and suitable for fault-tolerant batch jobs. Option A is wrong because persistent disks add cost. Option B is wrong because more VMs increase cost. Option D is wrong because it is a reserved capacity commitment, which is for predictable workloads and not cheaper for short jobs.
What should I do if I get this GCDL question wrong?
Identify which GCDL exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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