Free Google Associate Cloud Engineer Actual Exam Questions - Question 8 Discussion

Question No. 8
You have a workload running on Compute Engine that is critical to your business. You want to ensure
that the data on the boot disk of this workload is backed up regularly. You need to be able to restore
a backup as quickly as possible in case of disaster. You also want older backups to be cleaned
automatically to save on cost. You want to follow Google-recommended practices. What should you
do?
Select one option, then reveal solution.
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AC
Ali C.
2026-02-18

Makes sense to pick B since snapshot schedules handle automatic retention and fast restores.

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MQ
Mark Q.
2026-02-14

Snapshots are definitely the fastest to restore compared to images or manual exports, plus the schedule handles retention automatically. So I’d go with B.

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MQ
Mark Q.
2026-02-10

It’s B for me too. Snapshots are the easiest way to back up boot disks regularly and Google recommends using snapshot schedules because they handle automatic retention and cleanup, which covers the cost-saving part nicely. Creating your own scripts or exporting images adds complexity and slows down restore times. Snapshots are incremental, so restores are faster and you don’t have to manage storage manually. Also, you get native integration with Compute Engine, making it a smoother process overall. D might be useful for archiving, but it’s not ideal for quick disaster recovery like the questio

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NM
Noah M.
2026-02-09

Option B makes the most sense here. Snapshots are designed for quick recovery and can be scheduled with built-in retention policies, so old backups get cleaned up automatically without extra work. Creating your own backup system with cron jobs or Cloud Functions adds complexity and risk. Exporting images to Cloud Storage (D) is more for long-term archival but slower to restore, which doesn’t fit the “quick restore” need as well. Overall, snapshot schedules are just simpler and more aligned with Google’s best practices for boot disk backups on Compute Engine.

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EO
Ethan O.
2026-01-24

B/D? Snapshots (B) are definitely the go-to for quick restores and they have native scheduling plus retention, which is super handy. But images exported to Cloud Storage (D) offer durable backups that survive even if the VM or zone goes down. The trade-off is that restoring from images can take longer since you have to import them back. For most business-critical stuff where speed matters, snapshots feel more practical, but images add an extra layer of safety if you want offsite backups.

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EO
Ethan O.
2026-01-23

It’s B since snapshots handle backups and auto-cleanup without extra scripting.

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MF
Mohammad F.
2026-01-22

Snapshots have built-in retention policies for automatic cleanup, so B fits best.

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MF
Mohammad F.
2026-01-21

Maybe D could be a good backup for quick disaster recovery since images can be spun up fast. But it feels more manual and complicated compared to option B’s built-in snapshot scheduling with retention policies. Option B is simpler because snapshots are incremental and managed by Google, so you get automatic cleanup and faster restores out of the box without extra scripting or exporting steps. Also, snapshot schedules are a recommended approach for backing up boot disks regularly. So, I’d go with B for its ease and automation in following best practices.

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MF
Mohammad F.
2026-01-20

Maybe D could work too since creating images and exporting them to Cloud Storage gives you a durable backup, and you can manage lifecycle policies on the storage bucket for cleanup. But it might take longer to restore compared to snapshots. Still, if quick recovery isn’t super strict, D offers good control over backup retention without needing extra scripts.

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SA
Sohail A.
2026-01-19

Probably B. Snapshots are designed for quick restores and you can set retention policies to automatically delete old backups, which fits the cost-saving need better than custom scripts or exporting images.

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SR
Sam R.
2026-01-18

Option B, snapshots are quick to restore and support retention policies.

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EE
Ethan E.
2026-01-15

B

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