- A
Two instances in different zones with a zonal persistent disk each and data replication using a custom script
Why wrong: Custom replication is complex and may cause data inconsistencies.
- B
One instance in a single zone with a persistent disk snapshot every hour
Why wrong: Single zone failure can cause downtime; snapshots are not live replicas.
- C
Two instances in different zones with a regional persistent disk attached to the active instance and failover using a load balancer
Regional disk replicates data synchronously across zones; load balancer provides automated failover.
- D
Four instances across two zones with a regional persistent disk and active-passive failover using a health check
Why wrong: More instances than needed; regional disk is sufficient for two instances.
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 runs a critical application on Compute Engine with a stateful workload. They want to achieve 99.99% availability within a single region. Which architecture should they recommend?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Two instances in different zones with a regional persistent disk attached to the active instance and failover using a load balancer
Option C is correct because it uses a regional persistent disk, which synchronously replicates data across two zones within the same region, ensuring data durability and availability. The active instance in one zone attaches the disk, and a load balancer with health checks detects failures and redirects traffic to the standby instance in the other zone, enabling automatic failover to meet the 99.99% availability target.
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.
- ✗
Two instances in different zones with a zonal persistent disk each and data replication using a custom script
Why it's wrong here
Custom replication is complex and may cause data inconsistencies.
- ✗
One instance in a single zone with a persistent disk snapshot every hour
Why it's wrong here
Single zone failure can cause downtime; snapshots are not live replicas.
- ✓
Two instances in different zones with a regional persistent disk attached to the active instance and failover using a load balancer
Why this is correct
Regional disk replicates data synchronously across zones; load balancer provides automated failover.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Four instances across two zones with a regional persistent disk and active-passive failover using a health check
Why it's wrong here
More instances than needed; regional disk is sufficient for two instances.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the misconception that more instances or zones automatically increase availability, but the key is the data replication mechanism—regional persistent disks provide synchronous replication, while zonal disks with custom scripts or snapshots introduce data loss or latency that fails the 99.99% SLA.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Regional persistent disks use synchronous replication at the block level across two zones, meaning every write is acknowledged only after being committed to both zones, ensuring zero data loss during a zonal failure. The load balancer's health check probes the instance's TCP or HTTP endpoint; if the active instance fails, the load balancer automatically reroutes traffic to the standby instance, which attaches the same regional disk (read-write) after a short delay for disk detachment and reattachment. In a real-world scenario, this architecture is ideal for stateful workloads like databases (e.g., MySQL or Cassandra) where data consistency across zones is critical, but note that the failover time depends on the health check interval and disk reattachment latency, typically under 60 seconds.
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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCA question test?
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: Two instances in different zones with a regional persistent disk attached to the active instance and failover using a load balancer — Option C is correct because it uses a regional persistent disk, which synchronously replicates data across two zones within the same region, ensuring data durability and availability. The active instance in one zone attaches the disk, and a load balancer with health checks detects failures and redirects traffic to the standby instance in the other zone, enabling automatic failover to meet the 99.99% availability target.
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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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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