Cloud Computing MCQs – Set-1 | 50 questions on cloud models, virtualization, storage, networking, security, scaling, and resilience.
Mixed difficulty · Select one answer and open each explanation to review the concept.
What best defines cloud computing?
A Shared on-demand computing resources
B Local-only software installation
C A single office computer
D A private cable connection
Answer: A. Shared on-demand computing resources. NIST describes cloud computing as on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable resources.
What does on-demand self-service let a cloud customer do?
A Request every change by phone
B Provision resources when needed
C Own the provider’s data center
D Avoid all usage measurement
Answer: B. Provision resources when needed. On-demand self-service allows customers to provision capabilities as needed without human interaction for each request.
What does broad network access mean in cloud computing?
A Cloud works only on desktops
B Every resource is public
C Services are reachable through networks
D Cloud requires one device type
Answer: C. Services are reachable through networks. Cloud capabilities are available over a network and accessible through varied client devices.
What is resource pooling in a cloud service?
A Each customer owns all servers
B Only one user can connect
C Every workload uses one machine
D Provider shares resources across consumers
Answer: D. Provider shares resources across consumers. Resource pooling lets a provider serve multiple consumers with dynamically assigned resources.
What is rapid elasticity designed to do?
A Rapidly scale resources
B Prevent all usage changes
C Move every file to tape
D Keep capacity fixed
Answer: A. Rapidly scale resources. Rapid elasticity lets cloud resources expand or contract quickly as demand changes.
What does measured service provide?
A A physical server receipt
B Usage monitoring and metering
C Unlimited untracked resources
D A private network cable
Answer: B. Usage monitoring and metering. Measured service monitors and reports resource use at an appropriate level.
With IaaS, which layer does the customer commonly manage?
A Provider’s physical data center
B Cloud backbone hardware
C Operating system and applications
D Provider cooling equipment
Answer: C. Operating system and applications. IaaS customers typically manage operating systems and deployed applications while the provider manages the underlying infrastructure.
What does PaaS mainly provide to application developers?
A Only a physical server rack
B A finished consumer application
C A domain registration service
D A managed application platform
Answer: D. A managed application platform. PaaS provides a platform on which customers can deploy applications without managing the underlying infrastructure.
With SaaS, what does the customer primarily use?
A The provider’s hosted application
B The data center’s cooling system
C The server’s firmware
D The physical network switches
Answer: A. The provider’s hosted application. SaaS gives customers access to a provider’s applications running on cloud infrastructure.
Who may generally use a public cloud service?
A Only one organization
B A broad range of customers
C Only government agencies
D Only employees onsite
Answer: B. A broad range of customers. A public cloud is provisioned for open use by the general public, subject to its service terms.
What characterizes a private cloud deployment?
A It has no network access
B It must use one server
C Exclusive to one organization
D Always hosted at home
Answer: C. Exclusive to one organization. A private cloud is provisioned for exclusive use by a single organization.
What is a hybrid cloud deployment?
A Only a public cloud
B A single private server
C A local file backup
D Connected distinct cloud infrastructures
Answer: D. Connected distinct cloud infrastructures. A hybrid cloud combines distinct cloud infrastructures that remain separate but are connected by technology.
Who shares cloud security responsibilities?
A The provider and customer
B Only the customer
C Only the provider
D Only the network carrier
Answer: A. The provider and customer. Cloud responsibilities are divided between provider and customer, with the exact split varying by service.
What is virtualization used to create?
A Additional physical buildings
B Virtual versions of computing resources
C Paper copies of applications
D Permanent offline storage
Answer: B. Virtual versions of computing resources. Virtualization abstracts physical resources to create virtual machines, networks, or storage.
What does a hypervisor manage?
A Email attachments
B Web page styles
C Virtual machines
D Database passwords
Answer: C. Virtual machines. A hypervisor creates and manages virtual machines on a physical host.
What does a virtual machine emulate?
A A user account only
B A website’s title
C A network cable
D Virtualized computer system
Answer: D. Virtualized computer system. A virtual machine presents virtualized hardware on which a guest operating system can run.
What can a container package with an application?
A Application code and dependencies
B A physical computer case
C A separate data center
D Only a user password
Answer: A. Application code and dependencies. Containers package an application with its dependencies and configuration.
What do typical containers share with their host?
A A physical power supply
B The host operating-system kernel
C A monitor display
D A database schema
Answer: B. The host operating-system kernel. Containers isolate applications while sharing the host operating-system kernel.
How does object storage commonly organize data?
A As CPU registers
B As file system blocks only
C Objects in buckets
D As network routing rules
Answer: C. Objects in buckets. Object storage keeps data as objects with metadata in a flat namespace, often organized by buckets.
What does block storage present to a virtual machine?
A A public website
B A source code repository
C A group email inbox
D A volume resembling a disk
Answer: D. A volume resembling a disk. Block storage provides volumes that virtual machines can use like disks.
How is file storage commonly organized?
A In files and directories
B As independent object keys only
C As CPU instructions
D As IP address ranges
Answer: A. In files and directories. File storage organizes data in files and directories within a hierarchy.
What does a cloud load balancer do?
A Encrypts every stored object
B Distributes requests across backends
C Registers domain names
D Creates user passwords
Answer: B. Distributes requests across backends. A load balancer distributes incoming requests across backend resources.
What does horizontal scaling add?
A Faster cores to one machine
B A larger monitor
C More service instances
D Longer file names
Answer: C. More service instances. Horizontal scaling adds instances or nodes to share the workload.
What does vertical scaling increase?
A The number of data centers
B The number of user accounts
C The number of API endpoints
D Capacity of an existing instance
Answer: D. Capacity of an existing instance. Vertical scaling increases resources such as CPU or memory assigned to an existing instance.
What does serverless computing mean for developers?
A Provider manages server provisioning
B No servers exist anywhere
C Applications cannot scale
D Every app runs offline
Answer: A. Provider manages server provisioning. Serverless services still use servers; the provider manages much of the server provisioning and operations.
What commonly triggers a function-as-a-service function?
A A physical keyboard cable
B An event or request
C A server-room door
D A database license
Answer: B. An event or request. Function-as-a-service code is commonly invoked by events or requests.
What does a cloud region usually represent?
A A software license type
B A single user account
C A geographic service location
D A storage file format
Answer: C. A geographic service location. A region is a geographic area where a cloud provider operates resources.
Within a cloud region, what is a zone commonly used to describe?
A A billing method
B A username group
C A virtual machine image
D An isolated deployment location
Answer: D. An isolated deployment location. Cloud zones are distinct locations within a region, often designed to support fault isolation.
Why use a content delivery network (CDN)?
A Serve cached content near users
B Replace every application server
C Assign private IP addresses
D Encrypt database columns
Answer: A. Serve cached content near users. A CDN caches and serves content from locations closer to users.
What does cloud identity and access management control?
A Screen resolution settings
B Identities and permissions
C Processor temperatures
D File compression ratios
Answer: B. Identities and permissions. Identity and access management controls identities and their permissions to cloud resources.
What is role-based access control based on?
A Data center locations
B Storage volume sizes
C Assigned user or service roles
D Network cable categories
Answer: C. Assigned user or service roles. Role-based access control grants permissions through assigned roles.
What does least privilege mean in cloud access?
A Share administrator credentials
B Grant every service all permissions
C Disable all user identities
D Give only required permissions
Answer: D. Give only required permissions. Least privilege gives identities only the permissions needed for their tasks.
What does encryption at rest protect?
A Stored data
B Traffic latency
C The physical server rack
D Public domain records
Answer: A. Stored data. Encryption at rest protects data stored on disks or other storage media.
When does encryption in transit protect data?
A While the cloud is idle
B As it moves across networks
C Only during a backup restore
D Only inside source code
Answer: B. As it moves across networks. Encryption in transit protects data while it travels between systems.
What does a virtual private cloud (VPC) provide?
A A public website
B A physical office network
C An isolated virtual network
D A database backup
Answer: C. An isolated virtual network. A VPC provides a logically isolated network environment within a cloud platform.
What does a subnet define inside a virtual network?
A A cloud billing account
B A software release
C A data encryption key
D A smaller address range
Answer: D. A smaller address range. A subnet divides a virtual network address space into smaller network segments.
How can cloud auto scaling respond to demand?
A Adjust instance capacity automatically
B Change user passwords
C Delete all backups
D Rewrite application source code
Answer: A. Adjust instance capacity automatically. Auto scaling can add or remove capacity according to configured demand signals or policies.
What is infrastructure as code (IaC)?
A A manual data center drawing
B Managing infrastructure through machine-readable definitions
C A cloud usage invoice
D A type of storage device
Answer: B. Managing infrastructure through machine-readable definitions. Infrastructure as code defines and manages infrastructure through versionable configuration or program code.
Why keep infrastructure definitions in version control?
A To prevent all outages
B To hide changes from operators
C Track and review infrastructure changes
D To disable automated deployment
Answer: C. Track and review infrastructure changes. Version control records infrastructure changes and supports review, collaboration, and rollback.
What is a cloud backup intended to support?
A Faster website styling
B More user identities
C Automatic service billing
D Recovery of data after loss
Answer: D. Recovery of data after loss. Backups preserve copies that can be used to recover data after loss or corruption.
What does a recovery time objective (RTO) describe?
A Target time to restore service
B Maximum data loss interval
C Cloud storage capacity
D Network transfer speed
Answer: A. Target time to restore service. RTO is the target time within which a service or process should be restored after disruption.
What does a recovery point objective (RPO) describe?
A Maximum compute cost
B Target point for recoverable data
C Time to provision a server
D Number of backup copies
Answer: B. Target point for recoverable data. RPO describes the amount of data loss, expressed as time, an organization can tolerate.
What is a high-availability design intended to improve?
A The number of source files
B The color of dashboards
C Service uptime and accessibility
D The size of user passwords
Answer: C. Service uptime and accessibility. High availability aims to keep a service accessible despite component failures.
What does fault tolerance aim to preserve?
A Only the provider’s invoice
B A fixed server count
C A single storage path
D Operation despite component failure
Answer: D. Operation despite component failure. Fault-tolerant systems continue operating when specified components fail.
What does multitenancy allow a cloud provider to do?
A Multiple customers share infrastructure
B Give one customer every server
C Disable resource sharing
D Eliminate identity controls
Answer: A. Multiple customers share infrastructure. Multitenancy lets multiple customers use pooled infrastructure while keeping their workloads logically separated.
What does cloud metering track?
A A user’s keyboard layout
B Resource consumption
C A server’s physical color
D A website’s writing style
Answer: B. Resource consumption. Metering tracks resource consumption so use can be monitored and reported.
Why can data residency matter to a cloud customer?
A It changes the operating system
B It changes file names
C Determines data location
D It sets monitor refresh rates
Answer: C. Determines data location. Data residency concerns the geographic location where data is stored or processed.
What does vendor lock-in make difficult?
A Monitoring usage
B Scaling automatically
C Encrypting stored data
D Moving to another provider
Answer: D. Moving to another provider. Vendor lock-in can make migrating workloads or data to another provider difficult.
What does cloud portability aim to support?
A Moving workloads between environments
B Preventing all network access
C Removing software licenses
D Turning off data backups
Answer: A. Moving workloads between environments. Portability makes it easier to move applications or data across compatible environments.
What can a cloud cost tag help an organization do?
A Change virtual machine kernels
B Attribute project costs
C Encrypt every network packet
D Replace usage metering
Answer: B. Attribute project costs. Resource tags help categorize and allocate cloud costs to teams, projects, or services.