Google PCA Design for security and compliance Practice Question
This PCA practice question tests your understanding of design for security and compliance. 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 has a fleet of Compute Engine instances that need to access a Cloud Storage bucket. The security team requires that only instances in specific VPC networks can access the bucket, and that the data is encrypted in transit. How can this be achieved?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create a VPC Service Controls perimeter with access levels, and require HTTPS for the bucket.
VPC Service Controls with perimeter rules and usage of HTTPS for Cloud Storage ensures in-transit encryption. Option A provides encryption but not network restriction. Option C provides encryption but not network restriction. Option D provides network restriction but not encryption in transit.
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 a Cloud Storage bucket with encryption at rest using CSEK.
Why it's wrong here
Similar to A, does not restrict network access.
✗
Use Cloud Armor with IP allowlists and enable TLS for the bucket.
Create a VPC Service Controls perimeter with access levels, and require HTTPS for the bucket.
Why this is correct
VPC Service Controls restrict access by network, and HTTPS ensures encryption in transit.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use a Cloud Storage bucket with encryption at rest using CMEK.
Why it's wrong here
Encryption at rest does not restrict network access or enforce in-transit encryption.
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.
Trap categories for this question
Similar concept trap
Similar to A, does not restrict network access.
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 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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this PCA question in full detail.
Identify which PCA 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.
Design for security and compliance — This question tests Design for security and compliance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create a VPC Service Controls perimeter with access levels, and require HTTPS for the bucket. — VPC Service Controls with perimeter rules and usage of HTTPS for Cloud Storage ensures in-transit encryption. Option A provides encryption but not network restriction. Option C provides encryption but not network restriction. Option D provides network restriction but not encryption in transit.
What should I do if I get this PCA question wrong?
Identify which PCA 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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