- A
Store state in Cloud Firestore; use a service account key stored in Secret Manager.
Why wrong: Cloud Firestore is not a recommended backend for Terraform state. Service account keys should be avoided in favor of Workload Identity Federation.
- B
Store state in a Cloud Storage bucket in each environment project; use user credentials passed as secrets.
Why wrong: Storing state per project is possible but not recommended for centralized management. Using user credentials is less secure than service accounts.
- C
Store state in a central Cloud Storage bucket in the tools project; use a service account in the tools project with Workload Identity Federation to access the bucket and assume roles in environment projects.
This is the recommended approach: central state bucket, and use a service account with Workload Identity Federation for secure, keyless authentication.
- D
Store state locally in the CI/CD runner; use Application Default Credentials from the runner's environment.
Why wrong: Local state is not safe for team use. ADCs may not have sufficient permissions across projects.
PCDE Practice Question: Bootstrapping a Google Cloud Organisation for DevOps
This PCDE practice question tests your understanding of bootstrapping a google cloud organisation for devops. 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 company has a Google Cloud organization with separate folders for development, staging, and production. They want to deploy Terraform using a CI/CD pipeline that runs in a shared tools project. Where should the Terraform state files be stored and how should the pipeline authenticate?
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
Store state in a central Cloud Storage bucket in the tools project; use a service account in the tools project with Workload Identity Federation to access the bucket and assume roles in environment projects.
Terraform state should be stored in a GCS bucket with versioning enabled. The pipeline should use a service account from the tools project with Workload Identity Federation to access the bucket. This avoids long-lived keys and follows security best practices.
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.
- ✗
Store state in Cloud Firestore; use a service account key stored in Secret Manager.
Why it's wrong here
Cloud Firestore is not a recommended backend for Terraform state. Service account keys should be avoided in favor of Workload Identity Federation.
- ✗
Store state in a Cloud Storage bucket in each environment project; use user credentials passed as secrets.
Why it's wrong here
Storing state per project is possible but not recommended for centralized management. Using user credentials is less secure than service accounts.
- ✓
Store state in a central Cloud Storage bucket in the tools project; use a service account in the tools project with Workload Identity Federation to access the bucket and assume roles in environment projects.
Why this is correct
This is the recommended approach: central state bucket, and use a service account with Workload Identity Federation for secure, keyless authentication.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Store state locally in the CI/CD runner; use Application Default Credentials from the runner's environment.
Why it's wrong here
Local state is not safe for team use. ADCs may not have sufficient permissions across projects.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- 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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which PCDE exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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Bootstrapping a Google Cloud Organisation for DevOps — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCDE question test?
Bootstrapping a Google Cloud Organisation for DevOps — This question tests Bootstrapping a Google Cloud Organisation for DevOps — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Store state in a central Cloud Storage bucket in the tools project; use a service account in the tools project with Workload Identity Federation to access the bucket and assume roles in environment projects. — Terraform state should be stored in a GCS bucket with versioning enabled. The pipeline should use a service account from the tools project with Workload Identity Federation to access the bucket. This avoids long-lived keys and follows security best practices.
What should I do if I get this PCDE question wrong?
Identify which PCDE exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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 PCDE 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 PCDE exam.
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