- A
Keep objects in Standard for 7 years and use object versioning to reduce costs.
Why wrong: Standard is most expensive; versioning adds cost, not reduce.
- B
Use a lifecycle policy to transition objects to Coldline after 30 days, then to Archive after 1 year, and keep them for 7 years.
Coldline after 30 days (meets 30-day access pattern), then Archive after 1 year (cheapest for long-term with 24-hour retrieval). Compliant.
- C
Use a lifecycle policy to transition objects to Nearline after 30 days, then to Coldline after 1 year, and delete after 7 years.
Why wrong: Nearline and Coldline have 30-day and 90-day minimums, but Nearline is more expensive than Coldline for rare access; deletion violates compliance.
- D
Use a lifecycle policy to move objects to Archive immediately, as it is the cheapest storage class.
Why wrong: Archive has a 365-day minimum and early deletion fee; frequent access in first 30 days incurs high retrieval costs.
Google PCA Practice Question: Designing and Planning a Cloud Solution Architecture
This PCA practice question tests your understanding of designing and planning a cloud solution 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 media company stores raw video files in a Cloud Storage bucket with Standard storage class. The files are accessed frequently for the first 30 days after upload, then rarely after that. Compliance requires retention of all files for 7 years. They want to minimise storage costs while ensuring files are retrievable within 24 hours of a request. Which storage strategy meets these requirements?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"first"Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
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
Use a lifecycle policy to transition objects to Coldline after 30 days, then to Archive after 1 year, and keep them for 7 years.
After 30 days, move objects to Coldline (90-day minimum) then to Archive after 1 year. Archive has a 365-day minimum but is cheapest for long-term retention with 24-hour retrieval. Lifecycle policies automate transitions.
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.
- ✗
Keep objects in Standard for 7 years and use object versioning to reduce costs.
Why it's wrong here
Standard is most expensive; versioning adds cost, not reduce.
- ✓
Use a lifecycle policy to transition objects to Coldline after 30 days, then to Archive after 1 year, and keep them for 7 years.
Why this is correct
Coldline after 30 days (meets 30-day access pattern), then Archive after 1 year (cheapest for long-term with 24-hour retrieval). Compliant.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use a lifecycle policy to transition objects to Nearline after 30 days, then to Coldline after 1 year, and delete after 7 years.
Why it's wrong here
Nearline and Coldline have 30-day and 90-day minimums, but Nearline is more expensive than Coldline for rare access; deletion violates compliance.
- ✗
Use a lifecycle policy to move objects to Archive immediately, as it is the cheapest storage class.
Why it's wrong here
Archive has a 365-day minimum and early deletion fee; frequent access in first 30 days incurs high retrieval costs.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- 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 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
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which PCA exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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Designing and Planning a Cloud Solution Architecture — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCA question test?
Designing and Planning a Cloud Solution Architecture — This question tests Designing and Planning a Cloud Solution Architecture — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use a lifecycle policy to transition objects to Coldline after 30 days, then to Archive after 1 year, and keep them for 7 years. — After 30 days, move objects to Coldline (90-day minimum) then to Archive after 1 year. Archive has a 365-day minimum but is cheapest for long-term retention with 24-hour retrieval. Lifecycle policies automate transitions.
What should I do if I get this PCA question wrong?
Identify which PCA exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Last reviewed: Jul 4, 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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