GCP-ACE Sample Questions & Answers
The planning phase for compute, storage, and networking resources is weighted heaviest, framed by getting projects and billing configured first, keeping an existing solution running smoothly, and handling IAM and service-account configuration.
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- Question 1Intermediate
Setting Up a Cloud Solution Environment · Creating a resource hierarchy
A multinational corporation is setting up its Google Cloud resource hierarchy. They need to ensure that the 'Development' folder has a less restrictive IAM policy than the 'Production' folder, but both must inherit a baseline set of auditors from the Organization level. How does IAM inheritance function in this scenario?
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Correct answer: A
IAM policies in Google Cloud are additive. Permissions granted at the Organization level are inherited by Folders and Projects. You cannot 'deny' or remove an inherited role at a lower level; you can only add more permissions. To differentiate, you would grant the broad permissions at the child level (Dev) and only the strict baseline at the Org level.
- Question 2Intermediate
Configuring Access and Security · Managing Identity and Access Management (IAM)
You are managing a Google Cloud project with a team of developers. You need to grant a specific developer the ability to deploy applications to App Engine and view logs, but they should not be able to modify IAM roles or billing settings. Which combination of roles follows the principle of least privilege?
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Correct answer: D
The
roles/appengine.deployerrole allows deploying code, androles/logging.viewerallows reading logs. This combination grants exactly what is needed without the broad permissions of Editor or Owner, satisfying the principle of least privilege. - Question 3Beginner
Setting Up a Cloud Solution Environment · Assessing quotas and requesting increases
A startup is deploying a new microservices application. They need to provision 100 Compute Engine instances immediately for a launch event. However, the deployment fails with a 'Quota Exceeded' error. What is the correct sequence of steps to resolve this?
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Correct answer: B
When a quota limit is hit (like the default CPU limit for new projects), you must manually request an increase through the Quotas page in the console. This request is reviewed by Google.
- Question 4Intermediate
Planning and Implementing a Cloud Solution · Planning and implementing storage and data solutions
You have a Python application that needs to access a Cloud SQL database. You are running this application on your local machine for development purposes. You want to use the Cloud SQL Auth Proxy to connect securely without whitelisting your dynamic IP address. Which command launches the proxy correctly?
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Correct answer: A
The Cloud SQL Auth Proxy is invoked by specifying the instance connection name (project:region:instance) and the local port/method (tcp:5432). This creates a secure tunnel using IAM credentials rather than IP whitelisting.
- Question 5Intermediate
Ensuring Successful Operation of a Cloud Solution · Managing storage and data solutions
You are designing a storage strategy for a legal firm that requires data to be stored for 7 years for compliance. The data is accessed frequently (daily) for the first 30 days, then rarely (once a year) afterwards. You want to minimize costs while automating the transition. What should you configure?
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Correct answer: A
This solution uses the native Lifecycle Management feature (no custom code) and selects 'Archive' class, which is cheapest for data accessed less than once a year (Coldline is for once a quarter). It also handles the deletion requirement.
- Question 6Intermediate
Planning and Implementing a Cloud Solution · Planning and implementing compute resources
A developer needs to deploy a containerized application that processes messages from a Pub/Sub topic. The workload is event-driven, stateless, and can scale to zero when no messages are present. Which compute option is the most cost-effective and operationally simple?
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Correct answer: D
Cloud Run is designed for stateless containers, scales to zero (saving costs when idle), and natively integrates with Pub/Sub (via Eventarc or Push subscriptions). It requires less operational overhead than GKE or VMs.
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