This GCDL practice question tests your understanding of fundamental cloud concepts. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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.
Which THREE of the following are compute services offered by Google Cloud? (Choose exactly 3.)
Compute Engine
IaaS virtual machines.
Cloud Functions
Serverless functions.
Cloud Storage
Why wrong: Object storage service.
App Engine
PaaS for web applications.
Cloud SQL
Why wrong: Managed relational database.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Compute Engine
Compute Engine is a core Google Cloud compute service that provides virtual machines (VMs) running on Google's infrastructure. It allows you to create and manage VM instances with custom machine types, persistent disks, and networking configurations, making it a fundamental compute offering for running general-purpose workloads.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Compute Engine
Why this is correct
IaaS virtual machines.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Cloud Functions
Why this is correct
Serverless functions.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Cloud Storage
Why it's wrong here
Object storage service.
App Engine
Why this is correct
PaaS for web applications.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Cloud SQL
Why it's wrong here
Managed relational database.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates confuse storage and database services (Cloud Storage, Cloud SQL) with compute services, because all are part of Google Cloud's core offerings, but only services that execute code or run applications qualify as compute.
Detailed technical explanation
Compute Engine instances run on KVM-based hypervisors and can be launched with predefined or custom machine types, supporting live migration for maintenance without downtime. Under the hood, each instance uses Google's Andromeda network virtualization stack for high-performance networking, and persistent disks are backed by block storage replicated within the same zone. A real-world scenario: a data analytics pipeline might use Compute Engine VMs to run Apache Spark jobs, scaling horizontally with managed instance groups based on CPU utilization.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Fundamental cloud concepts — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
Fundamental cloud concepts practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
All GCDL questions
507 questions across all exam domains
Google Cloud Digital Leader study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
GCDL practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Practise GCDL questions linked to Why cloud technology is transforming business.
Practise GCDL questions linked to Fundamental cloud concepts.
Practise GCDL questions linked to Google Cloud products, services, and solutions.
Practise GCDL questions linked to Scaling with Google Cloud operations.
Practise GCDL questions linked to Trust and security with Google Cloud.
Practise GCDL questions linked to GCDL fundamentals.
Practise GCDL questions linked to GCDL scenario.
Practise GCDL questions linked to GCDL troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Fundamental cloud concepts — This question tests Fundamental cloud concepts — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Compute Engine — Compute Engine is a core Google Cloud compute service that provides virtual machines (VMs) running on Google's infrastructure. It allows you to create and manage VM instances with custom machine types, persistent disks, and networking configurations, making it a fundamental compute offering for running general-purpose workloads.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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 25, 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.
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.