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.
Network Topology
A team is deploying a new service in a Compute Engine instance without an external IP in subnet-b. The service needs to access Google Cloud Storage using internal IPs. What must the team do to enable this?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Enable Private Google Access on subnet-b.
Private Google Access enables a Compute Engine instance without an external IP address to reach Google APIs and services (including Cloud Storage) over the internal VPC network using RFC 1918 addresses. By enabling this feature on subnet-b, the instance can access Cloud Storage via internal IPs without needing an external IP or NATgateway. This is the correct and minimal configuration for the requirement.
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.
✗
Assign an external IP address to the instance.
Why it's wrong here
Defeats the purpose of having no external IP.
✗
Move the instance to subnet-a where Private Google Access is already enabled.
Why it's wrong here
Although possible, it is not the best solution; subnet can be modified.
✓
Enable Private Google Access on subnet-b.
Why this is correct
Enables instances without external IP to reach Google APIs via internal IPs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Set up Cloud NAT on the VPC to allow outbound access to Google APIs.
Why it's wrong here
Cloud NAT allows general internet access, not limited to GCS.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Private Google Access with Cloud NAT, assuming outbound access to Google APIs always requires NAT, but Private Google Access is the specific feature designed for internal-only instances to reach Google APIs without external IPs.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Private Google Access works by routing traffic destined to Google API IP ranges (e.g., 199.36.153.4/30 for restricted.googleapis.com) over the default internet gateway or through a VPC peering link, using the VPC's internal DNS resolution. The instance sends packets to the default route (0.0.0.0/0) with a next hop of the default internet gateway, but the gateway recognizes the destination as a Google API range and forwards it over Google's internal backbone rather than the public internet. This feature is subnet-level and must be enabled per subnet; it does not require Cloud NAT or external IPs.
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 Private Google Access on subnet-b. — Private Google Access enables a Compute Engine instance without an external IP address to reach Google APIs and services (including Cloud Storage) over the internal VPC network using RFC 1918 addresses. By enabling this feature on subnet-b, the instance can access Cloud Storage via internal IPs without needing an external IP or NAT gateway. This is the correct and minimal configuration for the requirement.
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.
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Question Discussion
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