Question 705 of 985
PCSE Ensuring Data Protection Practice Question
This PCSE practice question tests your understanding of ensuring data protection. 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 security engineer needs to enforce column-level masking on a BigQuery table such that: (1) users with role 'data_analyst' see masked values, (2) users with role 'data_scientist' see plaintext values, and (3) the masking is applied automatically without modifying the underlying table. Which three components must they configure? (Choose 3)
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
✓
IAM roles (e.g., roles/bigquery.maskedReader)
BigQuery column-level security uses: a Data Catalog taxonomy to define policy tags, a BigQuery Data Policy that specifies masking rules (e.g., hash, nullify) associated with the policy tag, and IAM roles (e.g., BigQuery Masked Reader) to grant access to masked data. The taxonomy contains the policy tags, the data policy defines the masking rule, and IAM controls who sees masked vs. plaintext.
Key principle: Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: usable hosts are not the same as total addresses
Subnetting questions often tempt you into counting all addresses. In normal IPv4 subnets, the network and broadcast addresses are not usable host addresses.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Subnetting questions test whether you can identify the network, broadcast address, usable range, mask and correct subnet. Slow down enough to calculate the block size correctly.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
- Block size helps identify subnet boundaries.
- Network and broadcast addresses are not usable hosts in normal IPv4 subnets.
- The required host count determines the smallest suitable subnet.
TExam Day Tips
- Write the block size before choosing the subnet.
- Check whether the question asks for hosts, subnets or a specific address range.
- Do not confuse /24, /25, /26 and /27 host counts.
Key takeaway
Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related PCSE subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCSE question test?
Ensuring Data Protection — This question tests Ensuring Data Protection — CIDR notation defines the prefix length..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: IAM roles (e.g., roles/bigquery.maskedReader) — BigQuery column-level security uses: a Data Catalog taxonomy to define policy tags, a BigQuery Data Policy that specifies masking rules (e.g., hash, nullify) associated with the policy tag, and IAM roles (e.g., BigQuery Masked Reader) to grant access to masked data. The taxonomy contains the policy tags, the data policy defines the masking rule, and IAM controls who sees masked vs. plaintext.
What should I do if I get this PCSE question wrong?
Review block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related PCSE subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.
What is the key concept behind this question?
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 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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