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Quizzes > Computers & IT

Cloud Computing Quiz: Check Your Knowledge of Core Concepts

Quick, free cloud computing practice test. Instant results.

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Amutha AmuthaUpdated Aug 26, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
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This quiz helps you check your understanding of cloud computing basics, including deployment models, storage options, and key concepts through short, practical questions. If you are preparing for a cloud fundamentals exam, try our cloud practitioner quiz. To review infrastructure building blocks, see the cloud infrastructure quiz, and practice identity services with the Active Directory quiz.

What is a public cloud?
A cloud hosted solely within a company's private data center
A cloud platform shared only by multiple companies in a consortium
A cloud environment owned and operated by a third-party provider, accessible to the general public
A private network of servers located on-premises
A public cloud is a cloud environment owned and managed by a third-party provider and is accessible over the internet to anyone who wants to purchase or lease resources. It offers scalability and pay-as-you-go pricing models that reduce capital expenditure. Public clouds are maintained by the provider, who handles infrastructure, security, and updates.
Which service model provides virtualized computing resources over the internet?
Platform as a Service (PaaS)
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
Network as a Service (NaaS)
Software as a Service (SaaS)
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) delivers fundamental computing resources - such as virtual machines, storage, and networks - over the internet on demand. Users can rent infrastructure instead of investing in on-premises hardware, enabling rapid scaling. IaaS abstracts physical hardware, letting you focus on applications and services.
What does SaaS stand for in cloud computing?
Security as a Service
Storage as a Service
Solution as a Service
Software as a Service
Software as a Service (SaaS) is a cloud delivery model where applications are hosted by a provider and made available to users over the internet. It removes the need for organizations to install and run software on their own computers or in their data centers. Updates, security, and maintenance are handled by the service provider.
Which term describes on-demand resource provisioning in the cloud?
Elasticity
Latency
Throughput
Redundancy
Elasticity is the ability of a cloud system to automatically increase or decrease resources to match current demand. It ensures that applications have enough resources during peak loads and reduces waste during idle times. Elasticity is a core characteristic of cloud computing and supports cost efficiency.
What is virtualization in cloud computing?
Encrypting data at rest
Creating virtual versions of physical resources like servers
Connecting multiple clouds into one network
Moving applications between regions
Virtualization is the process of creating virtual (rather than physical) versions of computing resources, such as servers or storage devices. It allows multiple operating systems and applications to run on a single physical hardware platform. Virtualization increases resource utilization and flexibility.
Which model describes software and hardware managed by the provider while users manage applications?
Software as a Service (SaaS)
Platform as a Service (PaaS)
Network as a Service (NaaS)
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
Platform as a Service (PaaS) provides a platform allowing customers to develop, run, and manage applications without dealing with the underlying infrastructure. The provider handles middleware, runtime, OS, and virtualization, while users focus on deploying applications. PaaS accelerates development and reduces management overhead.
What is a private cloud?
A cloud infrastructure operated solely for one organization
A community cloud shared by several organizations
A public multi-tenant cloud service
A set of cloud services across different providers
A private cloud is dedicated to a single organization, either hosted on-premises or by a third-party provider. It offers greater control over security, compliance, and performance. Many large enterprises use private clouds for sensitive workloads.
What does multi-tenancy mean in cloud computing?
Applications are deployed in multiple regions
Resources are physically separated per customer
Multiple users share the same application instance and resources
Each user has a dedicated hardware server
Multi-tenancy is a principle where a single instance of software serves multiple customers (tenants). Data is logically isolated, but hardware and software resources are shared, improving efficiency and scaling. Providers manage one codebase for all tenants, simplifying maintenance.
Which payment model charges based on actual resource consumption?
Upfront commitment
Reserved capacity
Pay-as-you-go
Subscription-based
The pay-as-you-go model bills users only for the resources they consume, such as compute hours or storage gigabytes. It eliminates upfront costs and aligns expenses with actual usage. Many cloud providers offer this flexible pricing.
What is redundancy in cloud infrastructure?
Compressing unneeded data
Encrypting data backups
Migrating workloads across providers
Duplicate components to ensure availability
Redundancy involves deploying duplicate resources - like servers, storage, or network paths - to eliminate single points of failure. In the event of a component failure, redundant systems maintain service continuity. This is essential for high availability.
Which technology allows multiple operating systems on a single host?
Load balancer
Router
Hypervisor
Firewall
A hypervisor is software that creates and runs virtual machines by abstracting hardware resources. It allows multiple OS instances to share a single physical host. Hypervisors are foundational for virtualization and cloud computing.
What is the primary function of a cloud region?
A network of user endpoints
A single data center
A backup site for archives
A geographical area containing multiple data centers
A cloud region is a specific geographic location where a cloud provider deploys data centers. Each region comprises multiple availability zones for fault isolation and redundancy. Regions help reduce latency and meet data sovereignty requirements.
What characteristic describes automatic scaling up or down based on demand?
Load balancing
Sharding
Auto Scaling
Caching
Auto Scaling automatically adjusts compute resources to maintain performance during traffic spikes or lulls. It ensures applications have adequate capacity and optimizes costs by terminating excess resources. Many providers offer built-in auto scaling services.
Which storage model stores data as objects with metadata and identifiers?
Object Storage
File Storage
Tape Storage
Block Storage
Object storage manages data as objects, each containing the data itself, metadata, and a unique identifier. It's highly scalable, ideal for unstructured data like media files and backups. Providers like AWS S3 and Azure Blob Storage use this model.
What is a virtual machine (VM)?
A dedicated physical server
A containerized application instance
An emulation of a physical computer running an OS
A serverless function execution
A virtual machine is software that emulates a physical computer, running an operating system and applications in an isolated environment. VMs share physical hardware through a hypervisor. They offer flexibility and efficient resource utilization.
What is a hybrid cloud?
A combination of on-premises and public cloud environments
A private cloud shared by multiple tenants
A cloud used for backup only
A public cloud spanning multiple regions
A hybrid cloud integrates on-premises infrastructure with public cloud services, allowing data and applications to move between them. It offers flexibility, cost optimization, and scalability while maintaining control over critical workloads. Many enterprises use hybrid clouds for gradual cloud adoption.
What is cloud bursting?
Redirecting peak workloads from private to public cloud
Migrating data archives to cold storage
Running parallel backups in two regions
Splitting an application into microservices
Cloud bursting allows an application to run in a private cloud or data center and 'burst' into the public cloud for additional capacity during demand spikes. It prevents performance bottlenecks and reduces on-premises infrastructure costs. It requires careful networking and security design.
Which storage type offers block-level storage for VMs and databases?
File Storage
Block Storage
Object Storage
Archive Storage
Block storage provides raw storage volumes that are partitioned into blocks, much like a local disk drive. It's ideal for databases, VMs, and other I/O intensive applications. Blocks can be formatted with a file system and managed like physical drives.
What consistency model allows reads to return slightly stale data for higher availability?
Strong consistency
Eventual consistency
Read-your-writes consistency
Session consistency
Eventual consistency ensures that, given enough time without new updates, all replicas will converge to the same value. It offers high availability and partition tolerance but may serve stale data briefly. This trade-off suits many distributed systems, like DNS or NoSQL databases.
What is an SLA in cloud services?
Safety Logistics Arrangement
Secure Level Authentication process
Service License Authorization document
Service Level Agreement outlining uptime and performance guarantees
A Service Level Agreement (SLA) is a contract between a cloud provider and the customer that defines the expected level of service, including uptime, performance, and remediation steps if targets are not met. SLAs often include credits or penalties for non-compliance. They are critical for managing expectations and accountability.
Which service allows you to run code without provisioning servers?
Bare Metal Servers
Managed VMs
Dedicated Instances
Serverless Computing
Serverless computing lets developers run code in response to events and triggers without managing the underlying servers. The provider automatically scales resources and bills only for execution time. Examples include AWS Lambda and Azure Functions.
What is containerization?
Packaging applications with dependencies in isolated environments
Running multiple VMs on a single host
Distributing traffic across servers
Encrypting data at rest
Containerization involves bundling an application and its dependencies into a single container image that runs reliably across different environments. Containers share the host OS kernel, resulting in lightweight, fast-start instances. Docker and Kubernetes are popular container platforms.
What is Kubernetes primarily used for?
Providing block storage volumes
Monitoring VMs performance
Managing backup and archival
Orchestrating and managing containerized applications
Kubernetes is an open-source platform that automates deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. It groups containers into pods and manages their scheduling and networking. Kubernetes ensures high availability and self-healing capabilities.
What does a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) enable?
Managed database instance
An isolated network environment within a cloud provider
A globally distributed file system
Serverless function execution
A Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) provides a logically isolated section of a cloud provider's network, allowing you to define and control your virtual networking environment. You can configure subnets, routing tables, and security settings. VPCs enhance security and segregation of resources.
What is edge computing?
Real-time analytics in the cloud only
Processing data close to the source of generation
Centralized data processing in a core data center
Batch processing in big data platforms
Edge computing moves computation and data storage closer to data sources like IoT devices to reduce latency and bandwidth use. It enables real-time processing and decision-making at or near the data source. Edge nodes complement cloud data centers for latency-sensitive applications.
Which AWS service distributes content worldwide with low latency?
Amazon S3
Amazon CloudFront
Amazon RDS
AWS Direct Connect
Amazon CloudFront is a content delivery network (CDN) that caches content at edge locations around the globe to reduce latency. It accelerates distribution of websites, APIs, video, and other web assets. CloudFront integrates with other AWS services for security and analytics.
What is identity federation in cloud computing?
Allowing external identity provider credentials to access cloud resources
Sharing VPCs across accounts
Federating multiple cloud accounts under one billing
Encrypting user credentials
Identity federation allows users to access cloud services using credentials from an external identity provider (like Active Directory or social identity providers). It simplifies access management and reduces password sprawl. Federation often uses SAML or OIDC standards.
Which tool is commonly used for infrastructure as code?
Kubernetes
Terraform
Docker
Ansible AWX
Terraform is an open-source infrastructure as code tool that enables you to define and provision data center infrastructure using a high-level configuration language. It manages resources across various providers, including AWS, Azure, and GCP. Terraform's state management and plan/apply workflow ensure predictable deployments.
What principle states that a distributed system can only guarantee two of the following: consistency, availability, and partition tolerance?
CAP theorem
PRA model
ACID properties
BASE architecture
The CAP theorem asserts that a distributed system can simultaneously provide at most two of the guarantees: consistency, availability, and partition tolerance. Systems must make trade-offs among these properties based on application requirements. No system can fully satisfy all three in the presence of network partitions.
What is an availability zone?
An isolated data center within a region
A single rack in a data center
A global network backbone
A backup region in another continent
An availability zone (AZ) is one or more discrete data centers within a region, each with independent power, networking, and connectivity. AZs provide fault isolation and high availability when resources are spread across multiple zones. They enable architects to build resilient systems.
What deployment strategy involves two identical environments and switching traffic to the new one when ready?
Rolling deployment
Immutable deployment
Blue-green deployment
Canary deployment
Blue-green deployment uses two identical environments - blue and green. One environment runs the current production version while the other runs the new version. You switch traffic to the green environment after testing, enabling instant rollback by directing traffic back to blue.
What is the difference between RTO and RPO in disaster recovery?
RTO is data loss tolerance; RPO is service uptime target
RTO measures performance; RPO measures security
RTO is recovery time objective; RPO is recovery point objective
RTO is cost objective; RPO is availability objective
RTO (Recovery Time Objective) is the maximum acceptable length of time to restore service after an outage. RPO (Recovery Point Objective) is the maximum acceptable amount of data loss, measured in time. Both metrics are essential for designing disaster recovery strategies.
What describes immutable infrastructure?
Components are replaced rather than updated in place
All servers run the same OS version
Configuration changes are applied dynamically
Backup images are never deleted
Immutable infrastructure means that once a server or resource is deployed, it is never modified. Updates are implemented by replacing the entire component with a new version. This approach reduces configuration drift and simplifies rollback.
Which tool allows you to define AWS infrastructure using JSON or YAML templates?
AWS OpsWorks
Elastic Beanstalk
Terraform
AWS CloudFormation
AWS CloudFormation lets you model, provision, and manage AWS and third-party resources by treating infrastructure as code using JSON or YAML templates. It automates resource provisioning in a predictable and repeatable manner. Change sets allow safe updates to running stacks.
What is a service mesh used for in microservices architectures?
Managing service-to-service communication, security, and monitoring
Distributing traffic across regions
Automating database backups
Providing centralized logging
A service mesh is an infrastructure layer that handles service-to-service communication in microservices. It provides features like load balancing, encryption, authentication, and observability without embedding code into services. Istio and Linkerd are popular service meshes.
Which cloud-native pattern isolates failures by deploying multiple independent instances?
Microservices
Shared database pattern
Three-tier architecture
Monolithic architecture
Microservices architecture structures an application as a collection of loosely coupled services that can be deployed and scaled independently. This isolation limits the blast radius of failures and accelerates development cycles. Each service owns its data and logic.
What is zero trust security in cloud environments?
Trusting internal network segments implicitly
Using a single perimeter firewall
Allowing intra-network traffic by default
Verifying every request as if it originates from an open network
Zero trust security assumes no implicit trust for any user or device, even inside the network perimeter. It enforces continuous verification, least-privilege access, and micro-segmentation. This model is crucial for modern cloud and hybrid architectures.
Which deployment approach gradually shifts traffic from the old version to the new version?
Blue-green deployment
Recreate deployment
Shadow deployment
Canary deployment
Canary deployment rolls out a new version to a small subset of users or servers first. If metrics and logs indicate stability, traffic is gradually ramped up to the new version. This approach minimizes risk and allows monitoring before full release.
What challenge arises when orchestrating workloads across multiple cloud providers?
Differences in APIs, networking, and security policies
Inability to use containers
Lack of any SLA commitments
No support for encryption
Multi-cloud orchestration must handle varying APIs, data formats, networking models, and security controls across providers. This complexity requires abstraction layers or specialized tools to ensure consistency. Organizations often adopt standard interfaces or use container platforms to mitigate differences.
How can cross-region replication impact data consistency?
It may introduce latency and eventual consistency delays
It eliminates network partitions
It enforces strict strong consistency globally
It auto-scales storage without delays
Cross-region replication involves copying data between geographically separate data centers, which introduces latency and potential replication lag. As a result, applications might read stale data until replication completes. Designers must choose appropriate consistency models and replication strategies.
What must organizations consider for GDPR compliance in the cloud?
Data residency, subject access requests, and encryption controls
Public IP address usage
Only uptime SLAs
Vendor lock-in risks
GDPR requires that personal data of EU residents be stored, processed, and transferred under strict privacy rules. Organizations must ensure data residency, handle subject access requests, implement encryption, and maintain audit trails. Cloud providers offer compliance services to help meet these obligations.
Which Kubernetes feature restricts network traffic between pods?
ConfigMaps
Network Policies
Ingress Controllers
Namespaces
Kubernetes Network Policies define rules that allow or block traffic between pods and/or namespaces. They use labels to select pods and control ingress and egress rules. This feature enhances cluster security and micro-segmentation.
What does PCI DSS require when storing credit card data in the cloud?
Open access to auditors only
Use of only public cloud services
Weekly data exports
Strong encryption, strict access controls, and regular audits
PCI DSS mandates that credit card data must be encrypted at rest and in transit, with strict access controls, multi-factor authentication, and regular security audits. Cloud environments must be configured to meet these standards, and providers should supply relevant compliance documentation.
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Study Outcomes

  1. Analyze Cloud Deployment Models -

    After completing the quiz, you will be able to distinguish between public, private, hybrid, and multi-cloud deployment types and explain their use cases.

  2. Differentiate Storage Models -

    Test your ability to identify and compare block, object, and file storage models in cloud environments to reinforce fundamental concepts.

  3. Identify Core Cloud Characteristics -

    Understand essential features such as on-demand scalability, elasticity, and resource pooling to recognize true statements about cloud computing.

  4. Apply Real-World Examples -

    Use practical scenarios to pinpoint examples of cloud computing in IT, reinforcing how cloud services operate in everyday applications.

  5. Assess Conceptual Mastery -

    Evaluate your understanding by answering targeted questions, receiving instant feedback to highlight areas of strength and improvement.

  6. Prepare for Certification Exams -

    Build confidence in tackling cloud computing practice exam quiz questions, sharpening your knowledge and exam-taking strategies.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Cloud Deployment Models (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS) -

    Review the three core deployment types defined by NIST: Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service, and Software as a Service, and remember the mnemonic "I Provide Software" to recall their order. In your cloud computing practice exam quiz, questions like "Which of the following is true about cloud computing?" often test these distinctions.

  2. Shared Responsibility Model -

    Understand how security and compliance jobs are split between provider and customer, as outlined by AWS and Azure documentation. For example, in an IT exam you might see "What is an example of cloud computing IT exam scenario where the provider handles physical security?" to check if you know who manages data encryption versus hardware maintenance.

  3. Core Storage Options: Block, Object, File -

    Differentiate between block (like Amazon EBS), object (Amazon S3), and file storage (Azure Files) by using the acronym "BOF." Block storage is low-latency for databases, object storage shines in large-scale archives, and file storage suits lift-and-shift. This is a staple topic in any cloud computing quiz.

  4. Elasticity vs. Scalability -

    Master the difference: elasticity automatically adjusts resources to demand spikes, while scalability lets you manually or automatically add capacity horizontally or vertically. Think "Scale Out vs. Scale Up" when you see cloud computing practice questions on auto-scaling groups and load balancers. Understanding this ensures you can architect cost-effective, high-availability systems.

  5. Security & Compliance Frameworks -

    Familiarize yourself with ISO 27001, GDPR, and HIPAA controls as referenced in official cloud service compliance docs. Use the memory trick "CIA Triad" (Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability) to recall core security goals and map them to cloud services. This knowledge boosts your confidence when facing security-focused questions on any cloud computing practice exam quiz.

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