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Design and plan a cloud solution architecture →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Google PCA Design and plan a cloud solution architecture Practice Question

This PCA practice question tests your understanding of design and plan a cloud solution architecture. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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.

Exhibit

resource "google_compute_firewall" "allow_ssh" {
  name    = "allow-ssh"
  network = "default"
  priority = 1000
  allow {
    protocol = "tcp"
    ports    = ["22"]
  }
  source_ranges = ["0.0.0.0/0"]
  target_tags   = ["ssh-allowed"]
}

resource "google_compute_instance" "my_instance" {
  name         = "my-instance"
  machine_type = "e2-micro"
  zone         = "us-central1-a"
  tags         = ["web", "ssh-allowed"]
  boot_disk {
    initialize_params {
      image = "debian-cloud/debian-11"
    }
  }
  network_interface {
    network = "default"
    access_config {
      // Ephemeral public IP
    }
  }
}

Refer to the exhibit. An engineer deploys this Terraform configuration. After deployment, they can SSH into the VM using its public IP. However, they want to restrict SSH access to only a specific IP range (203.0.113.0/24). What change is required?

Question 1mediummultiple choice
Full question →

Exhibit

resource "google_compute_firewall" "allow_ssh" {
  name    = "allow-ssh"
  network = "default"
  priority = 1000
  allow {
    protocol = "tcp"
    ports    = ["22"]
  }
  source_ranges = ["0.0.0.0/0"]
  target_tags   = ["ssh-allowed"]
}

resource "google_compute_instance" "my_instance" {
  name         = "my-instance"
  machine_type = "e2-micro"
  zone         = "us-central1-a"
  tags         = ["web", "ssh-allowed"]
  boot_disk {
    initialize_params {
      image = "debian-cloud/debian-11"
    }
  }
  network_interface {
    network = "default"
    access_config {
      // Ephemeral public IP
    }
  }
}

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

✓

Change the 'source_ranges' in the firewall rule to ['203.0.113.0/24']. The instance already has the required tag.

The firewall rule 'allow-ssh' currently allows SSH from all IPs (0.0.0.0/0) to instances with tag 'ssh-allowed'. To restrict to a specific IP range, the source_ranges must be updated to ['203.0.113.0/24']. The instance already has the tag 'ssh-allowed', so no change to tags is needed.

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.

  • ✓

    Change the 'source_ranges' in the firewall rule to ['203.0.113.0/24']. The instance already has the required tag.

    Why this is correct

    Correct: Updating the source ranges restricts incoming SSH to the specified IP range.

    Related concept

    Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

  • ✗

    Modify the instance to use a network tag 'restricted-ssh' and update the firewall rule target_tags accordingly.

    Why it's wrong here

    Incorrect: This is an unnecessary change; the current tag works fine. The main issue is the source range.

  • ✗

    Add a new firewall rule with higher priority allowing SSH from 203.0.113.0/24, and keep the existing rule but change its priority to 100.

    Why it's wrong here

    Incorrect: This would still allow SSH from all IPs because the existing rule with lower priority (100) would still apply. Lower priority number means higher priority, so the new rule would take precedence only if it has higher priority (lower number). But the existing rule would still match traffic from 0.0.0.0/0 and allow it.

  • ✗

    Update the 'source_ranges' in the firewall rule to ['203.0.113.0/24'] and remove the 'ssh-allowed' tag from the instance.

    Why it's wrong here

    Incorrect: Removing the tag would cause the firewall rule not to apply to the instance, blocking all SSH.

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 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

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?

Design and plan a cloud solution architecture — This question tests Design and plan 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: Change the 'source_ranges' in the firewall rule to ['203.0.113.0/24']. The instance already has the required tag. — The firewall rule 'allow-ssh' currently allows SSH from all IPs (0.0.0.0/0) to instances with tag 'ssh-allowed'. To restrict to a specific IP range, the source_ranges must be updated to ['203.0.113.0/24']. The instance already has the tag 'ssh-allowed', so no change to tags is needed.

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.

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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026

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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.