- A
Set an organization policy with constraint 'gcp.resourceLocations' and allowed values 'us-central1' and 'europe-west1'. On the specific project, set a policy with allowed values 'us-central1', 'europe-west1', and 'us-east1'.
Correct hierarchy: org policy restricts, project policy allows additional location.
- B
Set an organization policy with constraint 'gcp.resourceLocations' and denied values 'asia-*', 'australia-*', etc. On the specific project, set a policy with allowed values 'us-east1'.
Why wrong: Deny lists are not recommended and might not achieve the desired restriction.
- C
Set an organization policy with constraint 'gcp.resourceLocations' and allowed values 'us-central1', 'europe-west1'. Use tags to mark the project and create a conditional policy that adds 'us-east1' when the tag is present.
Why wrong: Conditional policies using tags are possible but more complex; a simple project-level override is sufficient.
- D
Set an organization policy with constraint 'gcp.resourceLocations' and allowed values 'us-central1', 'europe-west1'. On the specific project, set a policy with denied values 'us-east1'.
Why wrong: Denying us-east1 would not allow it.
Quick Answer
The correct configuration is to set an organization policy with the constraint `gcp.resourceLocations` listing `us-central1` and `europe-west1` as allowed values, and then on the specific project, override the policy by adding `us-east1` to that allowed list. This works because organization policies enforce resource location constraints hierarchically: the project-level policy inherits the parent restrictions, and adding a value creates a more permissive override that still respects the organization-level boundaries. On the Google Professional Cloud Security Engineer exam, this scenario tests your understanding of policy inheritance and the principle that overrides must be additive, not subtractive—a common trap is thinking you can replace the allowed list entirely. Remember that you can only expand, not shrink, the allowed locations at a lower level. A useful memory tip: "Override adds, it never subtracts."
PCSE Practice Question: Configuring access within a cloud solution environment
This PCSE practice question tests your understanding of configuring access within a cloud solution environment. 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 company uses Organization Policies to restrict resource locations. They want to allow resources only in 'us-central1' and 'europe-west1'. They also need to allow a specific project to use 'us-east1' for a temporary workload. What is the correct organization policy configuration?
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
Set an organization policy with constraint 'gcp.resourceLocations' and allowed values 'us-central1' and 'europe-west1'. On the specific project, set a policy with allowed values 'us-central1', 'europe-west1', and 'us-east1'.
Option A is correct because Organization Policies with the 'gcp.resourceLocations' constraint enforce location restrictions hierarchically. By setting allowed values at the organization level to 'us-central1' and 'europe-west1', all projects inherit these restrictions. Overriding the policy on the specific project by adding 'us-east1' to the allowed list creates a more permissive policy that still respects the organization-level constraints, allowing the temporary workload in 'us-east1'.
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.
- ✓
Set an organization policy with constraint 'gcp.resourceLocations' and allowed values 'us-central1' and 'europe-west1'. On the specific project, set a policy with allowed values 'us-central1', 'europe-west1', and 'us-east1'.
Why this is correct
Correct hierarchy: org policy restricts, project policy allows additional location.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Set an organization policy with constraint 'gcp.resourceLocations' and denied values 'asia-*', 'australia-*', etc. On the specific project, set a policy with allowed values 'us-east1'.
Why it's wrong here
Deny lists are not recommended and might not achieve the desired restriction.
- ✗
Set an organization policy with constraint 'gcp.resourceLocations' and allowed values 'us-central1', 'europe-west1'. Use tags to mark the project and create a conditional policy that adds 'us-east1' when the tag is present.
Why it's wrong here
Conditional policies using tags are possible but more complex; a simple project-level override is sufficient.
- ✗
Set an organization policy with constraint 'gcp.resourceLocations' and allowed values 'us-central1', 'europe-west1'. On the specific project, set a policy with denied values 'us-east1'.
Why it's wrong here
Denying us-east1 would not allow it.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the misconception that project-level policies merge with organization-level policies, when in reality they override the parent policy entirely, requiring the allowed list to include all permitted locations.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The 'gcp.resourceLocations' constraint uses a list of allowed or denied locations, and policies are evaluated hierarchically: an organization-level policy is inherited by all projects unless a project-level policy overrides it. Overriding requires setting a more permissive allowed list (i.e., adding locations) because the child policy replaces the parent's list entirely, not merges. This behavior is defined by the Google Cloud Resource Manager hierarchy, where policies are evaluated from the root to the project level, and the most specific policy wins.
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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
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.
- →
Configuring access within a cloud solution environment — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Configuring access within a cloud solution environment practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All PCSE questions
500 questions across all exam domains
- →
Google Professional Cloud Security Engineer study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
PCSE practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related PCSE practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Configuring network security practice questions
Practise PCSE questions linked to Configuring network security.
Configuring access within a cloud solution environment practice questions
Practise PCSE questions linked to Configuring access within a cloud solution environment.
Ensuring data protection practice questions
Practise PCSE questions linked to Ensuring data protection.
Managing operations in a cloud solution environment practice questions
Practise PCSE questions linked to Managing operations in a cloud solution environment.
Supporting compliance requirements practice questions
Practise PCSE questions linked to Supporting compliance requirements.
PCSE fundamentals practice questions
Practise PCSE questions linked to PCSE fundamentals.
PCSE scenario practice questions
Practise PCSE questions linked to PCSE scenario.
PCSE troubleshooting practice questions
Practise PCSE questions linked to PCSE troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Start a free PCSE practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCSE question test?
Configuring access within a cloud solution environment — This question tests Configuring access within a cloud solution environment — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Set an organization policy with constraint 'gcp.resourceLocations' and allowed values 'us-central1' and 'europe-west1'. On the specific project, set a policy with allowed values 'us-central1', 'europe-west1', and 'us-east1'. — Option A is correct because Organization Policies with the 'gcp.resourceLocations' constraint enforce location restrictions hierarchically. By setting allowed values at the organization level to 'us-central1' and 'europe-west1', all projects inherit these restrictions. Overriding the policy on the specific project by adding 'us-east1' to the allowed list creates a more permissive policy that still respects the organization-level constraints, allowing the temporary workload in 'us-east1'.
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.
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 →
Keep practising
More PCSE practice questions
- Match each IAM role to its typical use case.
- Match each encryption scope to its description.
- Match each CVE or security concept to its description.
- Match each Google Cloud logging/monitoring term to its definition.
- Drag and drop the steps to rotate a customer-managed encryption key (CMEK) in Cloud KMS in the correct order.
- Drag and drop the steps to configure a Cloud NAT for private VM instances in the correct order.
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.
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.