- A
Use Workload Identity Federation instead of service account keys.
Eliminates the need to manage keys.
- B
Grant primitive roles for simplicity.
Why wrong: Primitive roles are broad and violate least-privilege.
- C
Use predefined roles to ensure compatibility.
Why wrong: Predefined roles may be too permissive; custom roles are more least-privilege.
- D
Regularly rotate service account keys.
Reduces risk if keys are compromised.
- E
Create custom roles with only necessary permissions.
Allows fine-grained access control.
Question 382 of 1,000
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 wants to implement least-privilege access for service accounts. Which THREE practices should they follow? (Choose 3)
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"least"Why it matters: You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
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
✓
Use Workload Identity Federation instead of service account keys.
Workload Identity Federation allows workloads running outside Google Cloud (e.g., on-premises, AWS, Azure) to authenticate to Google Cloud APIs without using long-lived service account keys. By exchanging tokens from an external identity provider for short-lived Google Cloud access tokens, it eliminates the need to store and manage static keys, directly supporting least-privilege access by reducing the attack surface and enabling automatic credential rotation.
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 Workload Identity Federation instead of service account keys.
Why this is correct
Eliminates the need to manage keys.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "least" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Grant primitive roles for simplicity.
Why it's wrong here
Primitive roles are broad and violate least-privilege.
- ✗
Use predefined roles to ensure compatibility.
Why it's wrong here
Predefined roles may be too permissive; custom roles are more least-privilege.
- ✓
Regularly rotate service account keys.
Why this is correct
Reduces risk if keys are compromised.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "least" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Create custom roles with only necessary permissions.
Why this is correct
Allows fine-grained access control.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "least" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse 'predefined roles ensure compatibility' with 'predefined roles are best for least-privilege,' but predefined roles still bundle permissions that may exceed what is strictly necessary, whereas custom roles allow exact permission scoping.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Workload Identity Federation uses the Security Token Service (STS) to exchange an external credential (e.g., an OIDC token from GitHub Actions or a SAML assertion) for a Google Cloud access token. This token is short-lived (typically 1 hour) and scoped to specific roles, so even if compromised, the blast radius is minimal. In contrast, service account keys are long-lived JSON files that, if leaked, can be used indefinitely until manually rotated, making them a common vector for credential theft in CI/CD pipelines.
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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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: Use Workload Identity Federation instead of service account keys. — Workload Identity Federation allows workloads running outside Google Cloud (e.g., on-premises, AWS, Azure) to authenticate to Google Cloud APIs without using long-lived service account keys. By exchanging tokens from an external identity provider for short-lived Google Cloud access tokens, it eliminates the need to store and manage static keys, directly supporting least-privilege access by reducing the attack surface and enabling automatic credential rotation.
What should I do if I get this PCDE 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: "least". You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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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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