- A
Use Horizontal Pod Autoscaler to automatically adjust the number of pods based on CPU utilization.
Why wrong: Incorrect: HPA scales based on load, but does not directly impact rolling update availability.
- B
Enable liveness probes to automatically restart pods that become unresponsive.
Why wrong: Incorrect: Liveness probes are for pod recovery, not for controlling rolling update behavior.
- C
Configure pod disruption budgets to limit the number of pods that can be unavailable simultaneously.
Correct: Pod disruption budgets help maintain availability during voluntary disruptions like rolling updates.
- D
Set readiness probes to ensure that pods are only considered ready when they can serve traffic.
Correct: Readiness probes prevent traffic from being sent to pods that are not ready, ensuring zero-downtime updates.
- E
Enable node auto-repair to automatically replace unhealthy nodes.
Why wrong: Incorrect: Node auto-repair handles node-level issues, not application-level rolling updates.
Quick Answer
The correct actions are to configure a PodDisruptionBudget (PDB) to specify the minimum number of pods that must remain available and to set readiness probes to ensure pods only receive traffic when fully ready. A PDB guarantees that during a GKE rolling update, a defined number of pods stay running, preventing voluntary disruptions from dropping below a critical threshold and preserving high availability. Readiness probes complement this by controlling when a pod is added to a Service’s endpoints; during the update, a new pod is not considered ready until it passes the probe, so traffic is not routed to it prematurely, which minimizes downtime. On the Google Professional Cloud Developer exam, this pairing tests your understanding of how Kubernetes combines declarative availability constraints with application-level health checking—a common trap is confusing readiness probes with liveness probes, which only restart unhealthy pods. Remember the memory tip: “PDB protects the count, readiness protects the traffic.”
PCD Deploying applications Practice Question
This PCD practice question tests your understanding of deploying applications. 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.
A team is deploying a microservice application on Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE). They want to ensure high availability and minimize downtime during rolling updates. Which TWO actions should they take? (Choose two.)
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"minimum / minimize"Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
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
Configure pod disruption budgets to limit the number of pods that can be unavailable simultaneously.
Option C is correct because PodDisruptionBudgets (PDBs) allow you to specify the minimum number of pods that must remain available during voluntary disruptions like rolling updates, ensuring high availability. Option D is correct because readiness probes control when a pod is added to a Service's endpoints; during rolling updates, they prevent traffic from being sent to a pod until it is ready, minimizing downtime.
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.
- ✗
Use Horizontal Pod Autoscaler to automatically adjust the number of pods based on CPU utilization.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: HPA scales based on load, but does not directly impact rolling update availability.
- ✗
Enable liveness probes to automatically restart pods that become unresponsive.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Liveness probes are for pod recovery, not for controlling rolling update behavior.
- ✓
Configure pod disruption budgets to limit the number of pods that can be unavailable simultaneously.
Why this is correct
Correct: Pod disruption budgets help maintain availability during voluntary disruptions like rolling updates.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Set readiness probes to ensure that pods are only considered ready when they can serve traffic.
Why this is correct
Correct: Readiness probes prevent traffic from being sent to pods that are not ready, ensuring zero-downtime updates.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Enable node auto-repair to automatically replace unhealthy nodes.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Node auto-repair handles node-level issues, not application-level rolling updates.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the distinction between liveness and readiness probes, and candidates mistakenly choose liveness probes (Option B) for availability during updates, but readiness probes are the correct choice for controlling traffic flow during rolling updates.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
PodDisruptionBudgets use the `spec.minAvailable` or `spec.maxUnavailable` field to enforce constraints on voluntary disruptions, and they work with Kubernetes' eviction API to block node drains or updates that would violate the budget. Readiness probes, defined in the pod spec with `initialDelaySeconds` and `periodSeconds`, are checked by the kubelet; a pod failing its readiness probe is removed from all Service endpoints, ensuring zero-downtime traffic shifting during a rolling update. In a real-world scenario, combining a PDB with readiness probes allows a deployment to update pods one by one, with the PDB ensuring at least, say, 3 pods are always serving, while readiness probes prevent traffic to a newly started pod until its application is fully initialized.
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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCD question test?
Deploying applications — This question tests Deploying applications — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure pod disruption budgets to limit the number of pods that can be unavailable simultaneously. — Option C is correct because PodDisruptionBudgets (PDBs) allow you to specify the minimum number of pods that must remain available during voluntary disruptions like rolling updates, ensuring high availability. Option D is correct because readiness probes control when a pod is added to a Service's endpoints; during rolling updates, they prevent traffic from being sent to a pod until it is ready, minimizing downtime.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
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 →
Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on PCD
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A team is deploying a new version of an application on GKE using a rolling update. They want to ensure that the update proceeds only if the new pods are healthy. Which two steps should they include? (Choose two.)
medium- ✓ A.Set the minReadySeconds field in the deployment.
- ✓ B.Define a readiness probe for the container.
- C.Define a liveness probe for the container.
- D.Set the revisionHistoryLimit to 10.
- E.Use a postStart lifecycle hook to test health.
Why A: Option A is correct because setting `minReadySeconds` in a Deployment ensures that a newly created Pod is considered ready only after it has been stable for that duration, preventing the rolling update from proceeding if the Pod fails shortly after startup. Option B is correct because a readiness probe determines whether a Pod is ready to serve traffic; during a rolling update, the Deployment controller waits for the new Pod's readiness probe to succeed before scaling down old Pods, ensuring the update only continues when new Pods are healthy.
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 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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