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Ensure solution and operations reliability →hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Google PCA Ensure solution and operations reliability Practice Question

This PCA practice question tests your understanding of ensure solution and operations reliability. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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

Refer to the exhibit.

# Sample managed instance group configuration (YAML)
resource:
  type: compute.beta.instanceGroupManager
  properties:
    zone: us-central1-a
    targetSize: 3
    baseInstanceName: my-app
    instanceTemplate: global/instanceTemplates/my-template
    autoHealingPolicies:
    - healthCheck: global/healthChecks/http-health-check
      initialDelaySec: 300
    autoScaler:
      minNumReplicas: 3
      maxNumReplicas: 10
      coolDownPeriodSec: 60
      cpuUtilization:
        utilizationTarget: 0.6

The exhibit shows a managed instance group configuration. What is the primary purpose of the 'autoHealingPolicies' section?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

  • Clue: "primary"

    Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.

Question 1hardmultiple choice
Full question →

Exhibit

Refer to the exhibit.

# Sample managed instance group configuration (YAML)
resource:
  type: compute.beta.instanceGroupManager
  properties:
    zone: us-central1-a
    targetSize: 3
    baseInstanceName: my-app
    instanceTemplate: global/instanceTemplates/my-template
    autoHealingPolicies:
    - healthCheck: global/healthChecks/http-health-check
      initialDelaySec: 300
    autoScaler:
      minNumReplicas: 3
      maxNumReplicas: 10
      coolDownPeriodSec: 60
      cpuUtilization:
        utilizationTarget: 0.6

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

✓

Automatically replace instances that are deemed unhealthy based on the health check.

The 'autoHealingPolicies' section in a managed instance group configuration is specifically designed to automatically replace instances that are deemed unhealthy based on a configured health check. When a health check probe (e.g., HTTP, TCP, or SSL) fails for a sustained period, the managed instance group terminates the unhealthy instance and creates a new one from the instance template, ensuring the desired number of healthy instances is maintained. This is distinct from autoscaling, which adjusts instance count based on load metrics.

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.

  • ✗

    Distribute incoming traffic evenly across the instances.

    Why it's wrong here

    Traffic distribution is done by the load balancer, not autohealing.

  • ✗

    Automatically add more instances when CPU utilization exceeds 60%.

    Why it's wrong here

    CPU utilization is for autoscaling, not autohealing.

  • ✓

    Automatically replace instances that are deemed unhealthy based on the health check.

    Why this is correct

    Autohealing monitors instance health and replaces unhealthy ones.

    Clue confirmation

    The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.

    Related concept

    Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

  • ✗

    Automatically update instances to a new instance template.

    Why it's wrong here

    Instance template updates are part of rolling updates, not autohealing.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

Google Cloud often tests the distinction between 'autohealing' (health-based instance replacement) and 'autoscaling' (metric-based instance count adjustment), causing candidates to confuse the purpose of the 'autoHealingPolicies' section with scaling policies.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Under the hood, the 'autoHealingPolicies' rely on a health check resource (e.g., HTTP health check on port 80 with a check interval of 5 seconds and a timeout of 5 seconds). The managed instance group monitors the health status of each instance; if an instance fails the health check for a consecutive number of times (e.g., 2 failures), it is marked unhealthy and automatically recreated. In a real-world scenario, if an application process crashes but the VM is still running, auto-healing ensures the instance is replaced without manual intervention, maintaining application availability.

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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this PCA question test?

Ensure solution and operations reliability — This question tests Ensure solution and operations reliability — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Automatically replace instances that are deemed unhealthy based on the health check. — The 'autoHealingPolicies' section in a managed instance group configuration is specifically designed to automatically replace instances that are deemed unhealthy based on a configured health check. When a health check probe (e.g., HTTP, TCP, or SSL) fails for a sustained period, the managed instance group terminates the unhealthy instance and creates a new one from the instance template, ensuring the desired number of healthy instances is maintained. This is distinct from autoscaling, which adjusts instance count based on load metrics.

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: "primary". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 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.