Question 137 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. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 GitOps with Config Sync to manage multiple GKE clusters. They want to ensure that if a cluster's state drifts from the desired state in the Git repository, it is automatically corrected. Config Sync is installed with the default settings. What else must be configured?

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

No additional configuration is required; drift correction is automatic

Config Sync, by default, operates in a continuous reconciliation loop. It periodically compares the live state of the cluster against the desired state defined in the Git repository. If any drift is detected, Config Sync automatically applies the necessary changes to revert the cluster back to the desired state. Therefore, no additional configuration is needed for automatic drift correction.

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.

  • Enable the 'drift correction' option in Config Sync

    Why it's wrong here

    Drift correction is enabled by default when Config Sync is configured to sync from a Git repository.

  • Set up a Cloud Scheduler to run 'kubectl apply' periodically

    Why it's wrong here

    This would duplicate Config Sync's functionality and is not required.

  • Install Anthos Config Management with the 'policy controller' enabled

    Why it's wrong here

    Policy Controller enforces policies but does not handle drift correction beyond what Config Sync provides.

  • No additional configuration is required; drift correction is automatic

    Why this is correct

    Config Sync automatically reconciles the cluster state with the Git repository, correcting any drift.

    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 may assume a separate 'drift correction' feature must be enabled, not realizing that Config Sync's core design already includes automatic drift correction as a fundamental behavior of its continuous reconciliation loop.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Config Sync uses a controller-manager that runs a reconciliation loop with a configurable sync period (default is every 15 seconds). It leverages the `source-format` of `unstructured` or `hierarchy` to parse the repository and applies resources using server-side apply. Under the hood, it uses the `kpt` or `nomos` libraries to compute diffs and apply changes idempotently, ensuring that any manual edits to the cluster are overwritten on the next sync cycle.

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.

Visual reference

Client Server SYN (seq=100) SYN-ACK (seq=200, ack=101) ACK (ack=201) Connection established — data transfer begins

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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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: No additional configuration is required; drift correction is automatic — Config Sync, by default, operates in a continuous reconciliation loop. It periodically compares the live state of the cluster against the desired state defined in the Git repository. If any drift is detected, Config Sync automatically applies the necessary changes to revert the cluster back to the desired state. Therefore, no additional configuration is needed for automatic drift correction.

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.

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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026

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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.