Google PCA Manage implementation of cloud architecture Practice Question
This PCA practice question tests your understanding of manage implementation of cloud 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 using Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL and needs to run a one-time heavy analytical query that takes over 30 minutes and uses 100% CPU. The production database is serving user traffic with high QPS. What should the company do to run the query without impacting production?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create a read replica of the production instance and run the query on the replica.
Option B is correct because a read replica in Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL is a separate instance that asynchronously replicates data from the primary. Running the heavy analytical query on the replica offloads the CPU-intensive workload from the production primary, ensuring user-facing traffic with high QPS is not impacted. The replica can handle read-only queries without affecting the primary's performance or availability.
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.
✗
Run the query directly on the primary instance during low traffic hours.
Why it's wrong here
Still risks impact even during low traffic.
✓
Create a read replica of the production instance and run the query on the replica.
Why this is correct
Read replicas are designed for offloading read-only workloads.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use Cloud SQL's pgBouncer to pool connections and queue the query.
Why it's wrong here
pgBouncer is for connection pooling, not for isolating heavy queries.
✗
Create a clone of the production instance and run the query on the clone.
Why it's wrong here
Clones are full copies; takes time and costs, but possible, but read replica is more efficient.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between a read replica (which offloads read traffic) and a clone (which is a point-in-time copy not kept in sync), leading candidates to choose the clone option because they confuse it with a replica's ability to handle production queries without impact.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cloud SQL read replicas use PostgreSQL's native streaming replication (WAL-based) to maintain near-real-time consistency, typically with a lag of seconds. The replica can be promoted to a standalone instance if needed, but for read-only analytical queries, it provides a dedicated resource that can be scaled independently (e.g., larger machine type) without affecting the primary. A common real-world scenario is running complex reporting or ETL queries that scan large tables, which would otherwise cause contention on the primary's shared buffer pool and CPU scheduler.
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.
TExam Day Tips
→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
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this PCA question in full detail.
Manage implementation of cloud architecture — This question tests Manage implementation of cloud architecture — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create a read replica of the production instance and run the query on the replica. — Option B is correct because a read replica in Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL is a separate instance that asynchronously replicates data from the primary. Running the heavy analytical query on the replica offloads the CPU-intensive workload from the production primary, ensuring user-facing traffic with high QPS is not impacted. The replica can handle read-only queries without affecting the primary's performance or availability.
What should I do if I get this PCA question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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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