This PCA practice question tests your understanding of manage implementation of cloud architecture. 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 wants to enforce that all Compute Engine VMs are created with specific disk encryption keys. Which policy mechanism should they use?
Organization policies with constraints/compute.restrictDiskEncryptionKeyTypes
Enforces allowed encryption key types at the org level.
IAM roles with compute.diskEncryptionKey permissions
Why wrong: Controls who can set keys, not which keys are used.
VPC Service Controls
Why wrong: For controlling data exfiltration, not disk encryption policies.
Cloud Scheduler to check compliance
Why wrong: Reactive, not preventive.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Organization policies with constraints/compute.restrictDiskEncryptionKeyTypes
Option A is correct because the Organization Policy constraint `constraints/compute.restrictDiskEncryptionKeyTypes` allows administrators to enforce that all Compute Engine VMs must use specific disk encryption key types (e.g., CMEK or CSEK). This policy is evaluated at resource creation time and blocks any VM that does not comply with the allowed key types, providing a preventive control rather than a reactive one.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Organization policies with constraints/compute.restrictDiskEncryptionKeyTypes
Why this is correct
Enforces allowed encryption key types at the org level.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
IAM roles with compute.diskEncryptionKey permissions
Why it's wrong here
Controls who can set keys, not which keys are used.
VPC Service Controls
Why it's wrong here
For controlling data exfiltration, not disk encryption policies.
Cloud Scheduler to check compliance
Why it's wrong here
Reactive, not preventive.
Common exam traps
The trap here is confusing IAM permissions (who can do something) with Organization Policy constraints (what is allowed to be done), leading candidates to choose IAM roles instead of the correct policy mechanism.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, Organization Policy constraints are implemented via the Resource Manager service and are evaluated during the `compute.instances.insert` API call. The constraint `restrictDiskEncryptionKeyTypes` accepts a list of allowed key types such as `google-managed`, `customer-managed`, or `customer-supplied`. If a VM creation request specifies a disk encryption key type not in the allowed list, the API returns a `403` error with a policy violation message, ensuring compliance without requiring post-creation scanning.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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.
What to study next
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Manage implementation of cloud architecture — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
Manage implementation of cloud architecture practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
All PCA questions
509 questions across all exam domains
Google Professional Cloud Architect study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
PCA practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Practise PCA questions linked to Design and plan a cloud solution architecture.
Practise PCA questions linked to Manage and provision cloud infrastructure.
Practise PCA questions linked to Design for security and compliance.
Practise PCA questions linked to Analyze and optimize technical and business processes.
Practise PCA questions linked to Manage implementation of cloud architecture.
Practise PCA questions linked to Ensure solution and operations reliability.
Practise PCA questions linked to PCA fundamentals.
Practise PCA questions linked to PCA scenario.
Practise PCA questions linked to PCA troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Manage implementation of cloud architecture — This question tests Manage implementation of cloud architecture — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Organization policies with constraints/compute.restrictDiskEncryptionKeyTypes — Option A is correct because the Organization Policy constraint `constraints/compute.restrictDiskEncryptionKeyTypes` allows administrators to enforce that all Compute Engine VMs must use specific disk encryption key types (e.g., CMEK or CSEK). This policy is evaluated at resource creation time and blocks any VM that does not comply with the allowed key types, providing a preventive control rather than a reactive one.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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 →
Keep practising
Last reviewed: Jun 24, 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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.