Google PCA Ensure solution and operations reliability Practice Question
This PCA practice question tests your understanding of ensure solution and operations reliability. 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 uses Cloud Logging to monitor their application logs. They notice that some logs from their Compute Engine instances are missing. The instances have the required logging permission. What is the most likely cause?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The logging agent is not configured to send logs to Cloud Logging.
Compute Engine instances do not automatically send logs to Cloud Logging. They require the Cloud Logging agent (based on fluentd) to be installed and configured to forward logs. Even with correct IAM permissions, without the agent, logs will not be collected. Option B correctly identifies this missing agent as the most likely cause.
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.
✗
The log sink is not configured correctly.
Why it's wrong here
Log sinks route logs to destinations; missing logs are a collection issue.
✓
The logging agent is not configured to send logs to Cloud Logging.
Why this is correct
The logging agent must be installed and configured to forward logs.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The instances are using a custom image without the logging agent.
Why it's wrong here
Custom images may still have agent; not the most likely cause.
✗
The log bucket is in a different project.
Why it's wrong here
Log bucket location does not affect log collection.
✗
The log entries are being filtered by the exclusion filter.
Why it's wrong here
Exclusion filters reduce volume but not cause complete absence.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between log collection (agent) and log routing (sinks) — the trap here is that candidates assume IAM permissions alone are sufficient, overlooking the mandatory agent installation and configuration step.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The Cloud Logging agent uses fluentd with a tail input plugin to read log files like /var/log/syslog and /var/log/messages. It forwards logs via the Cloud Logging API to the _Default log bucket. If the agent is not running or misconfigured (e.g., missing the required metadata or network access to logging.googleapis.com), logs are never sent. In real-world scenarios, a common subtlety is that the agent may be installed but its configuration file (e.g., /etc/google-fluentd/config.d/) does not include the custom log files the application writes to, leading to missing application logs even though system logs are collected.
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
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.
Ensure solution and operations reliability — This question tests Ensure solution and operations reliability — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The logging agent is not configured to send logs to Cloud Logging. — Compute Engine instances do not automatically send logs to Cloud Logging. They require the Cloud Logging agent (based on fluentd) to be installed and configured to forward logs. Even with correct IAM permissions, without the agent, logs will not be collected. Option B correctly identifies this missing agent as the most likely cause.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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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