- A
Grant the Cloud Build service account permission to update the Deployment
Needed to run kubectl set env or patch.
- B
Use Cloud Deploy instead of kubectl
Why wrong: Not necessary for this specific task.
- C
Run kubectl set env deployment/myapp COMMIT_SHA=$SHORT_SHA after the image is deployed
This updates the deployment environment variable.
- D
Create a new Docker image tag with the commit SHA
Why wrong: Tagging the image is separate from setting an env var.
- E
Use the built-in substitution $SHORT_SHA in a cloudbuild.yaml step
$SHORT_SHA is available and can be used in commands.
Question 343 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. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 uses Cloud Build to build and deploy a Go application to GKE. They need to inject the Git commit SHA as an environment variable in the deployment. Which THREE steps should they take?
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
✓
Grant the Cloud Build service account permission to update the Deployment
Option A is correct because the Cloud Build service account needs the `container.deployments.update` permission (or a role like `roles/container.developer`) to modify the Deployment object in GKE. Without this IAM permission, the `kubectl set env` command in the build step will fail with a forbidden error, even if the image was successfully deployed.
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.
- ✓
Grant the Cloud Build service account permission to update the Deployment
Why this is correct
Needed to run kubectl set env or patch.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use Cloud Deploy instead of kubectl
Why it's wrong here
Not necessary for this specific task.
- ✓
Run kubectl set env deployment/myapp COMMIT_SHA=$SHORT_SHA after the image is deployed
Why this is correct
This updates the deployment environment variable.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Create a new Docker image tag with the commit SHA
Why it's wrong here
Tagging the image is separate from setting an env var.
- ✓
Use the built-in substitution $SHORT_SHA in a cloudbuild.yaml step
Why this is correct
$SHORT_SHA is available and can be used in commands.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the misconception that you must rebuild and retag the Docker image to pass the commit SHA, when in fact you can inject it at deployment time using `kubectl set env` without modifying the image.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, `kubectl set env` updates the Deployment's pod template spec by adding or modifying the `env` field in the container definition, which triggers a rolling update. The `$SHORT_SHA` substitution in Cloud Build is resolved at build time from the `REVISION_ID` or `COMMIT_SHA` built-in variable, which is derived from the Git commit that triggered the build. In real-world scenarios, teams often combine this with `kubectl rollout status` to ensure the update completes before proceeding to subsequent steps.
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 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 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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Building and Implementing CI/CD Pipelines for a Service practice questions
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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: Grant the Cloud Build service account permission to update the Deployment — Option A is correct because the Cloud Build service account needs the `container.deployments.update` permission (or a role like `roles/container.developer`) to modify the Deployment object in GKE. Without this IAM permission, the `kubectl set env` command in the build step will fail with a forbidden error, even if the image was successfully deployed.
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.
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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