- A
Deploy a Transfer Appliance to copy data to another region weekly
Why wrong: Transfer Appliance is not suitable for DR with RPO < 1 hour; it's a one-time bulk transfer device.
- B
Use a regional managed instance group and rely on Google's automatic failover
Why wrong: Regional managed instance groups provide high availability within a region, not disaster recovery across regions.
- C
Store application configuration and scripts in a multi-regional Cloud Storage bucket
A multi-regional bucket ensures configuration is available globally and can be used to bootstrap instances in the DR region.
- D
Configure Cloud SQL cross-region replication to a replica in another region
Cross-region replication provides automatic failover with low RPO (seconds to minutes).
- E
Take regular snapshots of Compute Engine persistent disks and replicate them to another region using Cloud Storage
Snapshots can be stored in a multi-regional bucket and used to create instances in another region within RTO.
Google PCA Practice Question: Analysing and Optimising Technical and Business Processes
This PCA practice question tests your understanding of analysing and optimising technical and business processes. 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 team is designing a disaster recovery plan for a critical application. They need to ensure RPO of less than 1 hour and RTO of less than 4 hours. The application runs on Compute Engine with persistent disks and uses Cloud SQL for MySQL. Which THREE actions should they take? (Choose 3.)
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
Store application configuration and scripts in a multi-regional Cloud Storage bucket
For Compute Engine, taking regular snapshots and creating instances from them in another region meets RPO/RTO. For Cloud SQL, enabling cross-region replication (asynchronous) provides failover capability. Using a single regional managed instance group does not provide DR across regions. Transfer Appliance is for bulk data migration, not DR. A multi-region bucket is for storage but not directly for Compute Engine instances.
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.
- ✗
Deploy a Transfer Appliance to copy data to another region weekly
Why it's wrong here
Transfer Appliance is not suitable for DR with RPO < 1 hour; it's a one-time bulk transfer device.
- ✗
Use a regional managed instance group and rely on Google's automatic failover
Why it's wrong here
Regional managed instance groups provide high availability within a region, not disaster recovery across regions.
- ✓
Store application configuration and scripts in a multi-regional Cloud Storage bucket
Why this is correct
A multi-regional bucket ensures configuration is available globally and can be used to bootstrap instances in the DR region.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Configure Cloud SQL cross-region replication to a replica in another region
Why this is correct
Cross-region replication provides automatic failover with low RPO (seconds to minutes).
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Take regular snapshots of Compute Engine persistent disks and replicate them to another region using Cloud Storage
Why this is correct
Snapshots can be stored in a multi-regional bucket and used to create instances in another region within RTO.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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 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.
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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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCA question test?
Analysing and Optimising Technical and Business Processes — This question tests Analysing and Optimising Technical and Business Processes — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Store application configuration and scripts in a multi-regional Cloud Storage bucket — For Compute Engine, taking regular snapshots and creating instances from them in another region meets RPO/RTO. For Cloud SQL, enabling cross-region replication (asynchronous) provides failover capability. Using a single regional managed instance group does not provide DR across regions. Transfer Appliance is for bulk data migration, not DR. A multi-region bucket is for storage but not directly for Compute Engine instances.
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.
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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