The answer is that the service account sa-1 lacks the storage.objects.delete permission. This is because the IAM policy grants only the objectViewer role, which includes storage.objects.get and storage.objects.list for reading and listing objects, but critically omits the delete permission required to remove objects from a Cloud Storage bucket. On the Google Professional Cloud Database Engineer exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how granular IAM permissions control storage operations, often appearing as a trap where a user can see objects but cannot delete them, misleading candidates who assume view access implies full control. A common memory tip is to remember that "viewer" only lets you look, not touch—for deletions, you need the storage.objectAdmin role or a custom role with storage.objects.delete.
PCDE Plan and manage database infrastructure Practice Question
This PCDE practice question tests your understanding of plan and manage database infrastructure. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 is reviewing IAM permissions on a Cloud Storage bucket. The exhibit shows the bucket's IAM policy. A developer is using the service account sa-1 and reports that they cannot delete objects in the bucket. What is the likely reason?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The service account sa-1 does not have the storage.objects.delete permission.
The IAM policy shown in the exhibit grants the `objectViewer` role to service account `sa-1`, which includes the `storage.objects.get` and `storage.objects.list` permissions but does not include `storage.objects.delete`. Without the `storage.objects.delete` permission, the developer cannot delete objects in the bucket, even if they can view them. The correct answer is B because the service account lacks the necessary delete permission.
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.
✗
The etag value must be updated before any delete operation.
Why it's wrong here
Etag is for condition updates, not for authorization.
✓
The service account sa-1 does not have the storage.objects.delete permission.
Why this is correct
objectViewer only grants read access.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
A condition is attached to the objectViewer role that prevents deletion.
Why it's wrong here
No condition is shown in the exhibit.
✗
The policy only allows deletion by the service account sa-2.
Why it's wrong here
This is true but not the reason sa-1 cannot delete; sa-1 lacks permission independently.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between viewing and deleting objects, where candidates mistakenly assume that having read access (objectViewer) also allows deletion, or that a condition or etag is the blocking factor, rather than recognizing the missing delete permission.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
No condition is shown in the exhibit.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In Google Cloud IAM, permissions are granular and must be explicitly granted; `storage.objects.delete` is a separate permission from `storage.objects.get` and `storage.objects.list`. The `objectViewer` role (roles/storage.objectViewer) only includes read permissions, while the `objectAdmin` role (roles/storage.objectAdmin) includes write and delete permissions. Under the hood, IAM evaluates all applicable policies and denies access if any required permission is missing, even if other roles grant broader access.
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.
Plan and manage database infrastructure — This question tests Plan and manage database infrastructure — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The service account sa-1 does not have the storage.objects.delete permission. — The IAM policy shown in the exhibit grants the `objectViewer` role to service account `sa-1`, which includes the `storage.objects.get` and `storage.objects.list` permissions but does not include `storage.objects.delete`. Without the `storage.objects.delete` permission, the developer cannot delete objects in the bucket, even if they can view them. The correct answer is B because the service account lacks the necessary delete permission.
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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Question Discussion
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