This PCA practice question tests your understanding of manage and provision cloud infrastructure. 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 runs a batch processing job that runs daily and can handle interruptions. The job runs on a single Compute Engine instance. Which machine configuration is the most cost-effective?
A n2-standard-4 VM with sustained use discount
Why wrong: Sustained use discount applies but still more expensive than preemptible.
A standard n1-standard-4 VM
Why wrong: Not cost-effective; preemptible option is cheaper.
A preemptible n1-standard-4 VM
Preemptible VMs are much cheaper and suitable for fault-tolerant batch jobs.
A n1-standard-4 VM with a GPU
Why wrong: GPU adds cost and is not needed for this job.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
A preemptible n1-standard-4 VM
Option C is correct because a preemptible VM costs significantly less than a standard VM (up to 80% discount) and is ideal for batch processing jobs that can handle interruptions. The job runs daily and can tolerate being stopped, so the lower cost of a preemptible instance provides the most cost-effective solution without sacrificing functionality.
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.
A n2-standard-4 VM with sustained use discount
Why it's wrong here
Sustained use discount applies but still more expensive than preemptible.
A standard n1-standard-4 VM
Why it's wrong here
Not cost-effective; preemptible option is cheaper.
A preemptible n1-standard-4 VM
Why this is correct
Preemptible VMs are much cheaper and suitable for fault-tolerant batch jobs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
A n1-standard-4 VM with a GPU
Why it's wrong here
GPU adds cost and is not needed for this job.
Common exam traps
Google Cloud often tests the misconception that sustained use discounts are the most cost-effective option, but the trap here is that preemptible VMs provide a much deeper discount for fault-tolerant workloads, and candidates may overlook the 'can handle interruptions' requirement in the question.
Detailed technical explanation
Preemptible VMs in Compute Engine are short-lived instances that can be terminated at any time due to system events, with a maximum runtime of 24 hours, and they offer up to 80% discount compared to standard VMs. For batch jobs that are checkpointed or idempotent, such as daily data processing pipelines, preemptible VMs are ideal because the job can resume from the last checkpoint after an interruption, maximizing cost savings. In real-world scenarios, companies use preemptible VMs for large-scale data processing with frameworks like Apache Spark or Hadoop, where fault tolerance is built into the application layer.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
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FAQ
Manage and provision cloud infrastructure — This question tests Manage and provision cloud infrastructure — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: A preemptible n1-standard-4 VM — Option C is correct because a preemptible VM costs significantly less than a standard VM (up to 80% discount) and is ideal for batch processing jobs that can handle interruptions. The job runs daily and can tolerate being stopped, so the lower cost of a preemptible instance provides the most cost-effective solution without sacrificing functionality.
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 30, 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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