- A
Change the instance configuration to a multi-region setup
Why wrong: Multi-region adds replication overhead and does not directly reduce CPU utilization.
- B
Increase the number of processing units
Adding compute capacity reduces CPU saturation and latency.
- C
Reduce the number of indexes
Why wrong: Indexes may affect write performance, but read latency is primarily due to CPU saturation.
- D
Decrease the number of nodes to reduce contention
Why wrong: Decreasing nodes reduces capacity and would increase latency.
Question 437 of 980
PCD Practice Question: Deploy Scalable and Highly Available Databases in Google Cloud
This PCD practice question tests your understanding of deploy scalable and highly available databases in google cloud. 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.
A Cloud Spanner instance is experiencing high read latency. The instance has a single regional configuration. Monitoring shows high-priority CPU utilization is above 90%. What should the engineer do to reduce latency?
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
✓
Increase the number of processing units
High-priority CPU utilization above 90% indicates that the instance's compute resources are saturated, causing queuing and increased read latency. Increasing the number of processing units (or nodes) adds more CPU capacity, allowing the instance to handle more concurrent reads and reducing latency. This directly addresses the root cause of resource contention.
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 instance configuration to a multi-region setup
Why it's wrong here
Multi-region adds replication overhead and does not directly reduce CPU utilization.
- ✓
Increase the number of processing units
Why this is correct
Adding compute capacity reduces CPU saturation and latency.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Reduce the number of indexes
Why it's wrong here
Indexes may affect write performance, but read latency is primarily due to CPU saturation.
- ✗
Decrease the number of nodes to reduce contention
Why it's wrong here
Decreasing nodes reduces capacity and would increase latency.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse high CPU utilization with a need for geographic distribution (multi-region) or think reducing indexes will lower CPU load, when in fact the correct action is to scale compute capacity by increasing processing units or nodes.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cloud Spanner uses a shared-nothing architecture where each node (or processing unit) provides a fixed amount of CPU and memory for splits. When high-priority CPU exceeds 90%, the instance is throttling read requests, causing increased p99 latency. Adding processing units redistributes splits across more servers, reducing per-node CPU load and allowing more parallel query execution. In a regional configuration, this is the primary scaling mechanism for read-heavy workloads.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
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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Deploy Scalable and Highly Available Databases in Google Cloud — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCD question test?
Deploy Scalable and Highly Available Databases in Google Cloud — This question tests Deploy Scalable and Highly Available Databases in Google Cloud — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Increase the number of processing units — High-priority CPU utilization above 90% indicates that the instance's compute resources are saturated, causing queuing and increased read latency. Increasing the number of processing units (or nodes) adds more CPU capacity, allowing the instance to handle more concurrent reads and reducing latency. This directly addresses the root cause of resource contention.
What should I do if I get this PCD 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.
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: Jul 4, 2026
This PCD 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 PCD exam.
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