Google PCA Manage and provision cloud infrastructure Practice Question
This PCA practice question tests your understanding of manage and provision cloud infrastructure. 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.
Network Topology
Refer to the exhibit. A user reports that the instance 'batch-vm' is unavailable. Based on the output, what is the most likely cause of the unavailability?
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 preemptible VM was terminated by Google due to its preemptible nature.
The exhibit shows the instance 'batch-vm' with a status of 'TERMINATED' and the 'preemptible' flag set to 'true'. Preemptible VMs in Google Cloud have a maximum runtime of 24 hours and can be terminated at any time by Google Compute Engine due to resource constraints. The termination reason is typically 'preemption', which matches the scenario of a user reporting unavailability without manual intervention.
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 VM was stopped manually by a user.
Why it's wrong here
There is no indication of manual stop; the preemptible status is the key clue.
✓
The preemptible VM was terminated by Google due to its preemptible nature.
Why this is correct
Preemptible instances can be terminated at any time, and the status is TERMINATED.
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 VM lost its external IP address.
Why it's wrong here
The output does not show external IP; but loss of IP would not cause TERMINATED status.
✗
The VM crashed due to an out-of-memory error.
Why it's wrong here
While possible, the preemptible flag makes termination more likely.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between 'STOPPED' (user-initiated, billable for attached resources) and 'TERMINATED' (preempted or deleted, no longer billable), and candidates confuse preemption with a manual stop or a crash.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
The output does not show external IP; but loss of IP would not cause TERMINATED status.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Preemptible VMs are Compute Engine instances that last up to 24 hours and can be terminated (preempted) with a 30-second notice via ACPI G3 Mechanical Off signal. The termination reason is logged in the serial console output and can be viewed with `gcloud compute instances get-serial-port-output`; the VM's `preempted` field in the API response will be `true`. This is a cost-saving feature for batch jobs, but it means the VM is not suitable for stateful workloads without checkpointing.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
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: The preemptible VM was terminated by Google due to its preemptible nature. — The exhibit shows the instance 'batch-vm' with a status of 'TERMINATED' and the 'preemptible' flag set to 'true'. Preemptible VMs in Google Cloud have a maximum runtime of 24 hours and can be terminated at any time by Google Compute Engine due to resource constraints. The termination reason is typically 'preemption', which matches the scenario of a user reporting unavailability without manual intervention.
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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