Google PCA Manage and provision cloud infrastructure Practice Question
This PCA practice question tests your understanding of manage and provision cloud infrastructure. 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.
Which TWO are best practices when designing a VPC network for a multi-tier application in Google Cloud?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create separate subnets for each application tier.
Option B is correct because creating separate subnets for each application tier (e.g., web, application, database) allows you to apply granular firewall rules and routing policies per tier. This segmentation improves security by isolating traffic between tiers and aligns with Google Cloud's best practices for multi-tier architectures. It also simplifies network troubleshooting and scaling by keeping each tier's IP space distinct.
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.
✗
Disable VPC Flow Logs to reduce cost.
Why it's wrong here
VPC Flow Logs are valuable for security analysis.
✓
Create separate subnets for each application tier.
Why this is correct
Subnets allow segmentation and granular firewall rules.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Use firewall rules to restrict traffic between tiers to only necessary ports.
Why this is correct
Minimize attack surface by allowing only required communication.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use a single subnet for all tiers to simplify IP management.
Why it's wrong here
This combines all traffic and reduces security.
✗
Rely on the default priority of firewall rules to ensure proper ordering.
Why it's wrong here
Always set explicit priorities to avoid unintended effects.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume a single subnet simplifies management (Option D) or that disabling flow logs is a harmless cost-saving measure (Option A), but the exam expects you to prioritize security and observability over minor cost savings or administrative convenience.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In Google Cloud, VPC firewall rules are stateful and evaluated in priority order (lower number = higher priority). When you create separate subnets per tier, you can use network tags or service accounts to target firewall rules precisely, such as allowing only TCP 3306 from the app tier subnet to the database tier subnet. This is analogous to a DMZ design and is essential for meeting compliance frameworks like PCI DSS that require network segmentation.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
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: Create separate subnets for each application tier. — Option B is correct because creating separate subnets for each application tier (e.g., web, application, database) allows you to apply granular firewall rules and routing policies per tier. This segmentation improves security by isolating traffic between tiers and aligns with Google Cloud's best practices for multi-tier architectures. It also simplifies network troubleshooting and scaling by keeping each tier's IP space distinct.
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: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
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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