- A
The worker pods require node affinity to a specific node pool that is not configured.
Why wrong: Node affinity is not required; the Deployment can schedule on any node.
- B
The nodes have insufficient disk space to pull the new image, causing the pull to time out.
With 10 GB disk and multiple images, disk may fill up, leading to failed pulls.
- C
The nodes do not have the necessary permissions to access Container Registry.
Why wrong: If permissions were missing, the error would be 'unauthorized' or 'access denied', not deadline exceeded.
- D
The cluster is a regional cluster, but the worker pods are all scheduled in the same zone, causing resource contention.
Why wrong: Regional clusters distribute nodes across zones, and the error is image pull related, not resource contention.
Quick Answer
The answer is insufficient disk space on the GKE nodes causing the image pull to exceed the deadline. When a kubelet attempts to pull a container image but the node’s local storage is nearly full, the download and unpacking of image layers can stall, eventually triggering a “context deadline exceeded” error as the operation times out. On the Google Professional Cloud Architect exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how node resources—especially disk—directly impact pod lifecycle events like ContainerCreating. A common trap is to assume network or authentication issues, but since the image exists and internet access is confirmed, disk exhaustion becomes the prime suspect. Remember, n1-standard-2 VMs with only 10 GB of disk fill quickly with cached images and logs. Memory tip: “Deadline exceeded? Check the disk—space is the silent pod killer.”
Google PCA Manage implementation of cloud architecture Practice Question
This PCA practice question tests your understanding of manage implementation of cloud architecture. 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.
Your company runs a containerized microservices application on Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) with a regional cluster. The application consists of a frontend service, a backend API service, and a background worker service that processes messages from Cloud Pub/Sub. The worker service uses a Deployment with 3 replicas. Recently, the team noticed that the worker service is frequently failing with 'ContainerCreating' errors. The error message in the pod events is: 'Failed to pull image "gcr.io/my-project/my-worker:latest": rpc error: code = DeadlineExceeded desc = context deadline exceeded'. The image is stored in Container Registry in the same project. The cluster nodes are n1-standard-2 VMs with 10 GB of disk space. The team has confirmed that the image exists and that the nodes have internet access. What is the most likely cause of the issue?
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 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
The nodes have insufficient disk space to pull the new image, causing the pull to time out.
The error 'context deadline exceeded' when pulling an image indicates that the kubelet timed out while trying to download the container image. With only 10 GB of disk space on n1-standard-2 nodes, the node's disk may be nearly full, causing the image pull to stall or fail due to insufficient space to unpack the layers. This is the most likely cause because the image exists and internet access is confirmed, ruling out authentication or connectivity issues.
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 worker pods require node affinity to a specific node pool that is not configured.
Why it's wrong here
Node affinity is not required; the Deployment can schedule on any node.
- ✓
The nodes have insufficient disk space to pull the new image, causing the pull to time out.
Why this is correct
With 10 GB disk and multiple images, disk may fill up, leading to failed pulls.
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 nodes do not have the necessary permissions to access Container Registry.
Why it's wrong here
If permissions were missing, the error would be 'unauthorized' or 'access denied', not deadline exceeded.
- ✗
The cluster is a regional cluster, but the worker pods are all scheduled in the same zone, causing resource contention.
Why it's wrong here
Regional clusters distribute nodes across zones, and the error is image pull related, not resource contention.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between image pull errors that are due to permissions (e.g., 'unauthorized') versus resource exhaustion (e.g., disk full), and candidates mistakenly assume internet connectivity or permissions are the issue when the error message explicitly mentions a deadline exceeded.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The kubelet on each node manages image pulls using the container runtime (containerd or Docker). When disk space is low, the runtime may fail to write image layers to the filesystem, causing the pull to hang until the default timeout (typically 2-5 minutes) is exceeded. The 'context deadline exceeded' error is a gRPC status code from the CRI (Container Runtime Interface) indicating the operation did not complete within the deadline, often due to I/O bottlenecks or disk exhaustion.
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 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 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?
Manage implementation of cloud architecture — This question tests Manage implementation of cloud architecture — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The nodes have insufficient disk space to pull the new image, causing the pull to time out. — The error 'context deadline exceeded' when pulling an image indicates that the kubelet timed out while trying to download the container image. With only 10 GB of disk space on n1-standard-2 nodes, the node's disk may be nearly full, causing the image pull to stall or fail due to insufficient space to unpack the layers. This is the most likely cause because the image exists and internet access is confirmed, ruling out authentication or connectivity issues.
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
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.
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