- A
Enable Data Access audit logs with exempted members set to that service account
Why wrong: Exempting a service account from logging means no logs for that account's actions, which may violate audit requirements for full visibility.
- B
Enable Data Access audit logs without exempting any service accounts
Not exempting any service account ensures all data access is logged, satisfying audit requirements for comprehensive logging.
- C
Configure VPC Service Controls to block the service account from accessing the bucket
Why wrong: VPC SC does not control logging granularity; blocking access changes operational access.
- D
Use Cloud Logging exclusion filters to filter out the service account logs after ingestion
Why wrong: Exclusion filters remove logs from storage; auditors may require logs to be retained for completeness.
PCSE Supporting compliance requirements Practice Question
This PCSE practice question tests your understanding of supporting compliance requirements. 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 company wants to demonstrate to an auditor that all data access requests to a Cloud Storage bucket are logged, but they must exclude a specific service account from logging to reduce noise. What should they do to remain compliant with their audit policy?
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
Enable Data Access audit logs without exempting any service accounts
Option B is correct because enabling Data Access audit logs without exempting any service accounts ensures that all data access requests to the Cloud Storage bucket are logged, meeting the auditor's requirement. Exempting a service account (as in Option A) would violate the policy by excluding its requests from the logs entirely. Cloud Logging exclusion filters (Option D) operate after ingestion and cannot guarantee compliance, as the auditor may require logs to be captured in the first place.
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 Data Access audit logs with exempted members set to that service account
Why it's wrong here
Exempting a service account from logging means no logs for that account's actions, which may violate audit requirements for full visibility.
- ✓
Enable Data Access audit logs without exempting any service accounts
Why this is correct
Not exempting any service account ensures all data access is logged, satisfying audit requirements for comprehensive logging.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Configure VPC Service Controls to block the service account from accessing the bucket
Why it's wrong here
VPC SC does not control logging granularity; blocking access changes operational access.
- ✗
Use Cloud Logging exclusion filters to filter out the service account logs after ingestion
Why it's wrong here
Exclusion filters remove logs from storage; auditors may require logs to be retained for completeness.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between logging configuration that prevents log generation (exempted members) versus post-ingestion filtering (exclusion filters), and candidates mistakenly think exclusion filters can satisfy audit requirements because they reduce noise, but they do not ensure logs are captured for compliance.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Data Access audit logs in Google Cloud are enabled at the project level via the IAM & Admin console or API, and they capture all API calls that read or modify data. When you set exempted members, those principals' actions are not logged at all—the log entries are never written. Cloud Logging exclusion filters use the Logging API's `exclusions` field to drop log entries after they are received, but the log entries are still generated and billed briefly; this is not equivalent to not logging them, and auditors often require logs to be retained, not filtered out. In practice, a service account used for health checks or monitoring might be exempted to reduce noise, but the question explicitly requires all requests to be logged, so no exemption is allowed.
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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCSE question test?
Supporting compliance requirements — This question tests Supporting compliance requirements — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable Data Access audit logs without exempting any service accounts — Option B is correct because enabling Data Access audit logs without exempting any service accounts ensures that all data access requests to the Cloud Storage bucket are logged, meeting the auditor's requirement. Exempting a service account (as in Option A) would violate the policy by excluding its requests from the logs entirely. Cloud Logging exclusion filters (Option D) operate after ingestion and cannot guarantee compliance, as the auditor may require logs to be captured in the first place.
What should I do if I get this PCSE 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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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
This PCSE 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 PCSE exam.
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