PCNE Practice Question: Designing, planning, and prototyping a GCP network
This PCNE practice question tests your understanding of designing, planning, and prototyping a gcp network. 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 company is deploying a global HTTP load balancer with a backend service that spans multiple regions. The backend instances are in a managed instance group. They want to use Cloud CDN to cache content. What is the minimal set of configurations required on the backend bucket or instance group to enable Cloud CDN?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Enable Cloud CDN on the backend service and ensure that the load balancer's frontend uses HTTP or HTTPS protocol
Cloud CDN must be enabled on the backend service of the HTTP(S) load balancer, and the frontend must use HTTP or HTTPS because Cloud CDN only supports HTTP(S) protocols. This is the minimal configuration; no changes to the backend bucket or instance group are required beyond ensuring the backend service is correctly associated with the load balancer.
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.
✗
Configure Identity-Aware Proxy (IAP) on the backend service to allow cache
Why it's wrong here
IAP is for authentication, not caching.
✗
Use the gcloud compute backend-services update command with the --enable-cdn flag on the load balancer itself
Enable Cloud CDN on the backend service and ensure that the load balancer's frontend uses HTTP or HTTPS protocol
Why this is correct
Cloud CDN is enabled at the backend service level; protocol must be HTTP(S).
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Create a Cloud Storage bucket with public access and set it as the backend
Why it's wrong here
This is for static content, not for dynamic content from instance groups.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the misconception that Cloud CDN requires a Cloud Storage bucket or that it can be enabled on the load balancer itself rather than on the backend service, leading candidates to select options that involve bucket creation or incorrect command syntax.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cloud CDN uses the backend service's cache configuration to determine which content to cache, and it relies on the HTTP(S) load balancer's frontend to terminate TLS and forward requests. The cache key is based on the request URI, headers, and protocol, and Cloud CDN respects Cache-Control headers from the origin; if the origin sets private or no-cache headers, the content will not be cached even if CDN is enabled. In a multi-region backend service, Cloud CDN can cache content globally, reducing latency for users worldwide.
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.
Designing, planning, and prototyping a GCP network — This question tests Designing, planning, and prototyping a GCP network — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable Cloud CDN on the backend service and ensure that the load balancer's frontend uses HTTP or HTTPS protocol — Cloud CDN must be enabled on the backend service of the HTTP(S) load balancer, and the frontend must use HTTP or HTTPS because Cloud CDN only supports HTTP(S) protocols. This is the minimal configuration; no changes to the backend bucket or instance group are required beyond ensuring the backend service is correctly associated with the load balancer.
What should I do if I get this PCNE 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
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 →
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
This PCNE 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 PCNE exam.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.