Google PCA Practice Question: Designing and Planning a Cloud Solution Architecture
This PCA practice question tests your understanding of designing and planning a cloud solution architecture. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 designing a disaster recovery strategy for a Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL database with a Recovery Point Objective (RPO) of 1 hour and a Recovery Time Objective (RTO) of 2 hours. They are using the Regional Cloud SQL tier. Which TWO actions should they take? (Choose TWO.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Configure cross-region replication by creating a cross-region replica.
Cross-region replication (replica) provides failover to another region with an RPO < 1 hour. Automated backups with point-in-time recovery can restore within RTO if the replica is also used. Enabling deletion protection is a safety measure but not DR. A read replica in the same region does not help cross-region. Scaling CPU does not affect DR.
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.
✗
Increase the number of CPUs on the primary instance.
Why it's wrong here
Scaling up does not provide DR.
✗
Create a read replica in the same region.
Why it's wrong here
Same-region replica does not protect against regional failure.
✓
Configure cross-region replication by creating a cross-region replica.
Why this is correct
Cross-region replica enables failover to another region, achieving RPO < 1 hour.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Enable deletion protection on the database.
Why it's wrong here
Deletion protection prevents accidental deletion, not DR.
✓
Enable automated backups and point-in-time recovery.
Why this is correct
Backups can be used to restore in another region, but combined with replica, they meet RTO.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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 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.
Designing and Planning a Cloud Solution Architecture — This question tests Designing and Planning a Cloud Solution Architecture — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure cross-region replication by creating a cross-region replica. — Cross-region replication (replica) provides failover to another region with an RPO < 1 hour. Automated backups with point-in-time recovery can restore within RTO if the replica is also used. Enabling deletion protection is a safety measure but not DR. A read replica in the same region does not help cross-region. Scaling CPU does not affect DR.
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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