- A
--concurrency=2
Why wrong: This sets the number of concurrent requests per instance.
- B
--cpu-throttling
Why wrong: This controls CPU throttling, not instance count.
- C
--min-instances=2
This sets the minimum number of instances to 2.
- D
--max-instances=2
Why wrong: This sets the maximum, not minimum.
Question 616 of 1,000
PCDE Practice Question: Building and Implementing CI/CD Pipelines for a Service
This PCDE practice question tests your understanding of building and implementing ci/cd pipelines for a service. 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 developer wants to deploy a containerized application to Cloud Run with a requirement that the service has at least 2 instances always running to handle low-latency requests. Which flag should they use with gcloud run deploy?
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.
Clue:
"always"Why it matters: Absolute qualifier. An answer using 'always' is only correct if there are genuinely no exceptions — absolute statements are often wrong in networking.
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
✓
--min-instances=2
Option C is correct because the `--min-instances` flag in `gcloud run deploy` specifies the minimum number of container instances that must remain warm and ready to serve requests at all times. Setting `--min-instances=2` ensures Cloud Run keeps at least two instances always running, which eliminates cold starts and guarantees low-latency responses for incoming traffic.
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.
- ✗
--concurrency=2
Why it's wrong here
This sets the number of concurrent requests per instance.
- ✗
--cpu-throttling
Why it's wrong here
This controls CPU throttling, not instance count.
- ✓
--min-instances=2
Why this is correct
This sets the minimum number of instances to 2.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "least", "always" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
--max-instances=2
Why it's wrong here
This sets the maximum, not minimum.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse `--min-instances` (which guarantees a baseline of running instances) with `--max-instances` (which limits scaling) or `--concurrency` (which controls per-instance request handling), leading them to pick options that address scaling limits or concurrency rather than instance availability.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Cloud Run uses a request-driven autoscaler that can scale instances down to zero by default. The `--min-instances` flag overrides this by keeping a specified number of instances permanently allocated, which is critical for latency-sensitive applications because it avoids the 1–2 second cold start penalty when a new instance is spun up. In a real-world scenario, a real-time gaming leaderboard service would set `--min-instances` to a value that matches expected baseline traffic to ensure sub-100ms response times even during sudden traffic spikes.
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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
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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Building and Implementing CI/CD Pipelines for a Service — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCDE question test?
Building and Implementing CI/CD Pipelines for a Service — This question tests Building and Implementing CI/CD Pipelines for a Service — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: --min-instances=2 — Option C is correct because the `--min-instances` flag in `gcloud run deploy` specifies the minimum number of container instances that must remain warm and ready to serve requests at all times. Setting `--min-instances=2` ensures Cloud Run keeps at least two instances always running, which eliminates cold starts and guarantees low-latency responses for incoming traffic.
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", "always". 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
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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