This PCA practice question tests your understanding of manage implementation of cloud architecture. 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.
A company is deploying a web application on Compute Engine. They want to automatically scale the number of instances based on CPU utilization. Which two components are required to set up autoscaling? (Choose two.)
Cloud Functions
Why wrong: Not related to autoscaling Compute Engine.
Cloud Load Balancing
Why wrong: Not required for autoscaling based on CPU.
Instance template
Defines the instance configuration for the MIG.
Managed instance group
Manages scaling and instance pool.
Cloud Monitoring
Why wrong: Autoscaler uses built-in metrics, Cloud Monitoring is not required.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Instance template
An instance template is required because it defines the machine configuration (machine type, boot disk image, network tags, etc.) for all VMs created by the autoscaler. Without a template, the managed instance group would have no blueprint to provision new instances when scaling out.
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.
Cloud Functions
Why it's wrong here
Not related to autoscaling Compute Engine.
Cloud Load Balancing
Why it's wrong here
Not required for autoscaling based on CPU.
Instance template
Why this is correct
Defines the instance configuration for the MIG.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Managed instance group
Why this is correct
Manages scaling and instance pool.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Cloud Monitoring
Why it's wrong here
Autoscaler uses built-in metrics, Cloud Monitoring is not required.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often think Cloud Monitoring is required because autoscaling uses CPU metrics, but the autoscaler automatically accesses those metrics without requiring Cloud Monitoring to be separately configured.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, the managed instance group (MIG) uses the instance template to create instances and the autoscaler periodically polls the Stackdriver (now Cloud Monitoring) API for average CPU utilization across the group. The autoscaler then calculates the desired number of instances using a target CPU utilization value (e.g., 0.6 for 60%) and applies a formula that considers both the current load and the number of instances to avoid oscillation. In a real-world scenario, if you omit the instance template, the MIG cannot create new VMs, and without the MIG, the autoscaler has no group of instances to manage.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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FAQ
Manage implementation of cloud architecture — This question tests Manage implementation of cloud architecture — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Instance template — An instance template is required because it defines the machine configuration (machine type, boot disk image, network tags, etc.) for all VMs created by the autoscaler. Without a template, the managed instance group would have no blueprint to provision new instances when scaling out.
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.
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
This PCA 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 PCA exam.
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