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. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
It is a link-local IP address used for BGP sessions between the Cloud Router and the VPN gateway.
The IP address 169.254.0.1 falls within the 169.254.0.0/16 range, which is reserved for link-local addressing (RFC 3927). In Google Cloud, Cloud Routers use link-local addresses for BGP sessions with VPN gateways (both HA VPN and Classic VPN). This address is not routable and is used exclusively for BGP peering between the Cloud Router and the VPN gateway, ensuring that the BGP session operates over the VPN tunnel without conflicting with other IP assignments.
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.
✗
It is the public IP address of the VPN gateway.
Why it's wrong here
VPNgateway public IPs are assigned automatically and are different.
✗
It is a private IP address for BGP peering with the on-premises router.
Why it's wrong here
Private IPs are 10.0.0.0/8 etc.; 169.254.0.0/16 is link-local.
✗
It is the management IP address of the Cloud Router.
Why it's wrong here
Cloud Router does not have a management IP; it's a software resource.
✓
It is a link-local IP address used for BGP sessions between the Cloud Router and the VPN gateway.
Why this is correct
BGP uses link-local addresses (169.254.x.x) for peering.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between link-local, private, and public IP addresses, and the trap here is that candidates see 'BGP peering' and assume a private IP is used, failing to recognize that GCP specifically uses link-local addresses from the 169.254.0.0/16 range for BGP sessions with VPN gateways.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Link-local addresses (169.254.0.0/16) are automatically assigned when no DHCP server is available, but in GCP they are explicitly configured for BGP sessions on VPN tunnels to avoid IP conflicts and ensure the BGP session stays within the tunnel. The Cloud Router and VPN gateway each use a unique link-local address from this range (e.g., 169.254.0.1 and 169.254.0.2) to establish eBGP peering. In a real-world scenario, if you mistakenly use a routable IP for BGP peering, the session may fail due to routing loops or overlapping subnets, which is why GCP enforces link-local addressing for this purpose.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
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: It is a link-local IP address used for BGP sessions between the Cloud Router and the VPN gateway. — The IP address 169.254.0.1 falls within the 169.254.0.0/16 range, which is reserved for link-local addressing (RFC 3927). In Google Cloud, Cloud Routers use link-local addresses for BGP sessions with VPN gateways (both HA VPN and Classic VPN). This address is not routable and is used exclusively for BGP peering between the Cloud Router and the VPN gateway, ensuring that the BGP session operates over the VPN tunnel without conflicting with other IP assignments.
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.