Google PCA Manage and provision cloud infrastructure Practice Question
This PCA practice question tests your understanding of manage and provision cloud infrastructure. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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.
An organization's security policy requires that all Compute Engine VMs have Shielded VM features enabled. How can this be enforced at the organization level?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create an Organization Policy with the constraint compute.requireShieldedVm.
Option A is correct because the Organization Policy constraint `compute.requireShieldedVm` is a Google Cloud-native mechanism that enforces Shielded VM features at the organization, folder, or project level. When this constraint is applied, any Compute Engine VM creation request that does not include Shielded VM settings (such as Secure Boot, vTPM, and Integrity Monitoring) is denied by the Organization Policy service, ensuring compliance without relying on user behavior or manual review.
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.
✓
Create an Organization Policy with the constraint compute.requireShieldedVm.
Why this is correct
Correct. This enforces Shielded VM on all new VMs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Enable Cloud Audit Logs and review VM creations.
Why it's wrong here
Audit logs help detect violations, but do not enforce the policy.
✗
Use VPC Service Controls to restrict VM creation.
Why it's wrong here
VPC Service Controls control data exfiltration, not VM configuration.
✗
Assign a custom IAM role that only allows creation of Shielded VMs.
Why it's wrong here
IAM roles control permissions, not enforce configuration settings.
✗
Use Deployment Manager templates that include Shielded VM.
Why it's wrong here
Templates can enforce for deployments, but do not prevent manual creation via console/API.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between enforcement mechanisms (like Organization Policies) and detection or automation tools (like Audit Logs or Deployment Manager), leading candidates to choose options that only provide visibility or templates rather than actual policy enforcement.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The `compute.requireShieldedVm` constraint is a list constraint that, when set to `true`, requires all new VM instances to have `shieldedInstanceConfig.enableSecureBoot`, `enableVtpm`, and `enableIntegrityMonitoring` set to `true`. Under the hood, the Organization Policy service intercepts the `instances.insert` API call and evaluates the request against the constraint before the resource is created. A subtle behavior is that this constraint does not retroactively affect existing VMs; it only applies to new creations, so organizations must also audit and migrate existing instances to maintain compliance.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this PCA question in full detail.
Manage and provision cloud infrastructure — This question tests Manage and provision cloud infrastructure — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create an Organization Policy with the constraint compute.requireShieldedVm. — Option A is correct because the Organization Policy constraint `compute.requireShieldedVm` is a Google Cloud-native mechanism that enforces Shielded VM features at the organization, folder, or project level. When this constraint is applied, any Compute Engine VM creation request that does not include Shielded VM settings (such as Secure Boot, vTPM, and Integrity Monitoring) is denied by the Organization Policy service, ensuring compliance without relying on user behavior or manual review.
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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Question Discussion
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