Google PCA Design and plan a cloud solution architecture Practice Question
This PCA practice question tests your understanding of design and plan a cloud solution architecture. 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 is designing a VPC architecture for a multi-tenant SaaS platform. Each tenant has isolated workloads that must not communicate with each other. They also need centralized network security and logging. Which VPC design meets these requirements?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use a Shared VPC with separate subnets for each tenant and firewall rules to enforce isolation
Option A is correct because Shared VPC with separate subnets per tenant and firewall rules for isolation provides centralized management. Option B is wrong because VPC peering requires explicit peering and does not provide isolation easily. Option C is wrong because Cloud VPN is not for multi-tenant isolation. Option D is wrong because a single VPC without subnets is insecure.
Key principle: Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Dedicated Cloud VPN connections per tenant
Why it's wrong here
Overkill and does not isolate within GCP.
✓
Use a Shared VPC with separate subnets for each tenant and firewall rules to enforce isolation
Why this is correct
Shared VPC allows centralized control and subnet isolation.
Peering does not isolate by default and management is complex.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: usable hosts are not the same as total addresses
Subnetting questions often tempt you into counting all addresses. In normal IPv4 subnets, the network and broadcast addresses are not usable host addresses.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Subnetting questions test whether you can identify the network, broadcast address, usable range, mask and correct subnet. Slow down enough to calculate the block size correctly.
KKey Concepts to Remember
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
Block size helps identify subnet boundaries.
Network and broadcast addresses are not usable hosts in normal IPv4 subnets.
The required host count determines the smallest suitable subnet.
TExam Day Tips
→Write the block size before choosing the subnet.
→Check whether the question asks for hosts, subnets or a specific address range.
→Do not confuse /24, /25, /26 and /27 host counts.
Key takeaway
Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this PCA question in full detail.
Review block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related PCA subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.
Design and plan a cloud solution architecture — This question tests Design and plan a cloud solution architecture — CIDR notation defines the prefix length..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use a Shared VPC with separate subnets for each tenant and firewall rules to enforce isolation — Option A is correct because Shared VPC with separate subnets per tenant and firewall rules for isolation provides centralized management. Option B is wrong because VPC peering requires explicit peering and does not provide isolation easily. Option C is wrong because Cloud VPN is not for multi-tenant isolation. Option D is wrong because a single VPC without subnets is insecure.
What should I do if I get this PCA question wrong?
Review block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related PCA subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.
What is the key concept behind this question?
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
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Question Discussion
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