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.
Which THREE factors should be considered when selecting a machine series for a Compute Engine instance running a memory-intensive batch job?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Network throughput.
Network throughput (A) is a critical factor for a memory-intensive batch job because such jobs often involve reading or writing large datasets from persistent storage or other sources over the network. The instance series must provide sufficient network bandwidth to avoid I/O bottlenecks that could extend job completion time, even if the compute and memory resources are adequate.
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.
✓
Network throughput.
Why this is correct
Batch jobs often involve data transfer; higher throughput reduces time.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Sustained use discount.
Why it's wrong here
This is a cost factor, not a selection factor based on workload requirements.
✗
GPU availability.
Why it's wrong here
GPUs are for compute-intensive tasks, not necessarily memory-intensive.
✓
Memory per vCPU ratio.
Why this is correct
Memory-intensive jobs require sufficient RAM per CPU core.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
vCPU count.
Why this is correct
Number of vCPUs affects parallel processing capability.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between factors that influence technical workload performance (like network throughput and memory ratio) versus cost-saving mechanisms (like sustained use discounts) that are applied automatically and do not affect the suitability of a machine series.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Memory-intensive batch jobs, such as large-scale data processing with Apache Spark or in-memory databases, require a high memory-per-vCPU ratio to avoid swapping and to keep data resident in RAM. The machine series determines the available vCPU count and memory per vCPU, directly impacting job parallelism and memory capacity. Network throughput is governed by the instance's virtual machine type and can be a bottleneck when transferring large input/output datasets, especially when using persistent disks or Cloud Storage.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
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: Network throughput. — Network throughput (A) is a critical factor for a memory-intensive batch job because such jobs often involve reading or writing large datasets from persistent storage or other sources over the network. The instance series must provide sufficient network bandwidth to avoid I/O bottlenecks that could extend job completion time, even if the compute and memory resources are adequate.
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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