- A
The TCP load balancer is experiencing connection draining issues; switch to a proxy-based load balancer.
Why wrong: Load balancer logs show no errors, so connection draining is unlikely to be the cause.
- B
The instance group's autoscaler is configured with a cooldown period that is too long; reduce the cooldown period.
Why wrong: No resource alerts mean the instances are not overloaded, so autoscaler cooldown is not the issue.
- C
The application is making synchronous calls to an external authentication service that occasionally has latency spikes; implement caching and asynchronous processing.
External dependency latency is a common cause of intermittent slowdowns, and caching or async processing can mitigate it.
- D
The virtual machine instances are suffering from CPU throttling due to sustained use of burstable CPU; move to a machine type with more CPUs.
Why wrong: No CPU alerts indicate that sustained CPU usage is not triggering throttling, so this is not the cause.
Cloud Digital Leader Scaling with Google Cloud operations Practice Question
This GCDL practice question tests your understanding of scaling with google cloud operations. 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 large enterprise runs a critical application on Google Cloud consisting of Compute Engine instances behind a TCP load balancer. The application experiences intermittent slow response times that last for about 10 minutes before returning to normal. This pattern has been occurring every few days at random times. The operations team has configured Cloud Monitoring alerts for CPU and memory, but no alerts have fired. They have also reviewed the load balancer logs and see no errors, but the latency spikes. The application logs show no errors during these periods. The team suspects a resource bottleneck but cannot find it. Further investigation reveals that the application makes synchronous calls to an external authentication service for each request. What is the most likely cause and corrective action?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"most likely"Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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
The application is making synchronous calls to an external authentication service that occasionally has latency spikes; implement caching and asynchronous processing.
The intermittent latency spikes lasting ~10 minutes, with no errors in application or load balancer logs and no CPU/memory alerts, point to an external dependency issue. The synchronous calls to the external authentication service are the likely bottleneck: if that service experiences transient latency, every request is blocked, causing the application's response time to spike. Caching authentication tokens and using asynchronous processing (e.g., a queue or background refresh) decouples the application from the external service's variability, eliminating the cascading latency.
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.
- ✗
The TCP load balancer is experiencing connection draining issues; switch to a proxy-based load balancer.
Why it's wrong here
Load balancer logs show no errors, so connection draining is unlikely to be the cause.
- ✗
The instance group's autoscaler is configured with a cooldown period that is too long; reduce the cooldown period.
Why it's wrong here
No resource alerts mean the instances are not overloaded, so autoscaler cooldown is not the issue.
- ✓
The application is making synchronous calls to an external authentication service that occasionally has latency spikes; implement caching and asynchronous processing.
Why this is correct
External dependency latency is a common cause of intermittent slowdowns, and caching or async processing can mitigate it.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
The virtual machine instances are suffering from CPU throttling due to sustained use of burstable CPU; move to a machine type with more CPUs.
Why it's wrong here
No CPU alerts indicate that sustained CPU usage is not triggering throttling, so this is not the cause.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the misconception that all latency originates from internal infrastructure (load balancers, autoscalers, or CPU), when the real cause is an external dependency's synchronous call pattern that creates a hidden bottleneck without triggering resource alerts.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
Load balancer logs show no errors, so connection draining is unlikely to be the cause.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Synchronous HTTP calls to an external service create a thread-per-request blocking pattern; if the external service's response time jumps from 10ms to 5s, the application's thread pool can become exhausted, causing queuing delays that amplify latency. Caching authentication tokens (e.g., using a distributed cache like Memorystore) with a TTL and a background refresh mechanism (e.g., a cron job or pre-fetch) can reduce dependency on the external service to near zero. In real-world scenarios, external identity providers (e.g., Okta, Azure AD) can have transient slowdowns due to regional issues or rate limiting, and without caching, even a single slow call can cascade across all instances.
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.
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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Scaling with Google Cloud operations — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this GCDL question test?
Scaling with Google Cloud operations — This question tests Scaling with Google Cloud operations — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The application is making synchronous calls to an external authentication service that occasionally has latency spikes; implement caching and asynchronous processing. — The intermittent latency spikes lasting ~10 minutes, with no errors in application or load balancer logs and no CPU/memory alerts, point to an external dependency issue. The synchronous calls to the external authentication service are the likely bottleneck: if that service experiences transient latency, every request is blocked, causing the application's response time to spike. Caching authentication tokens and using asynchronous processing (e.g., a queue or background refresh) decouples the application from the external service's variability, eliminating the cascading latency.
What should I do if I get this GCDL 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: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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 →
Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
This GCDL 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 GCDL exam.
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