- A
Enable connection draining on the backend service
Why wrong: Connection draining allows existing connections to complete, but does not detect health.
- B
Use a global load balancer instead
Why wrong: Global load balancers also require health checks for automatic rerouting.
- C
Configure a health check on the backend service
Health checks allow the load balancer to mark instances unhealthy and stop sending traffic.
- D
Set up a managed instance group with autoscaling
Why wrong: Autoscaling helps with capacity but does not automatically reroute traffic from unhealthy instances without health checks.
Question 156 of 1,000
PCNE Configuring Network Services Practice Question
This PCNE practice question tests your understanding of configuring network services. 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.
An engineer is deploying a Regional External HTTP(S) Load Balancer to serve a web application on Compute Engine. They want to maintain the highest availability by automatically rerouting traffic away from unhealthy instances. Which additional configuration is required?
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
✓
Configure a health check on the backend service
Health checks are required to detect unhealthy instances. Without them, the load balancer will route traffic to any instance in the backend service. Autoscaling and managed instance groups are not mandatory for basic health checking but are recommended.
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 connection draining on the backend service
Why it's wrong here
Connection draining allows existing connections to complete, but does not detect health.
- ✗
Use a global load balancer instead
Why it's wrong here
Global load balancers also require health checks for automatic rerouting.
- ✓
Configure a health check on the backend service
Why this is correct
Health checks allow the load balancer to mark instances unhealthy and stop sending traffic.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Set up a managed instance group with autoscaling
Why it's wrong here
Autoscaling helps with capacity but does not automatically reroute traffic from unhealthy instances without health checks.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- 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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which PCNE exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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Configuring Network Services — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCNE question test?
Configuring Network Services — This question tests Configuring Network Services — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure a health check on the backend service — Health checks are required to detect unhealthy instances. Without them, the load balancer will route traffic to any instance in the backend service. Autoscaling and managed instance groups are not mandatory for basic health checking but are recommended.
What should I do if I get this PCNE question wrong?
Identify which PCNE exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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 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.
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