diff --git a/hack/test-cmd.sh b/hack/test-cmd.sh
index 8178819119e..528b43ed7e8 100755
--- a/hack/test-cmd.sh
+++ b/hack/test-cmd.sh
@@ -109,6 +109,7 @@ function check-curl-proxy-code()
 function kubectl-with-retry()
 {
   ERROR_FILE="${KUBE_TEMP}/kubectl-error"
+  preserve_err_file=${PRESERVE_ERR_FILE-false}
   for count in $(seq 0 3); do
     kubectl "$@" 2> ${ERROR_FILE} || true
     if grep -q "the object has been modified" "${ERROR_FILE}"; then
@@ -116,7 +117,9 @@ function kubectl-with-retry()
       rm "${ERROR_FILE}"
       sleep $((2**count))
     else
-      rm "${ERROR_FILE}"
+      if [ "$preserve_err_file" != true ] ; then
+        rm "${ERROR_FILE}"
+      fi
       break
     fi
   done
@@ -1060,7 +1063,7 @@ __EOF__
   kube::test::get_object_assert 'rc busybox1' "{{$rc_replicas_field}}" '1'
   # Command
   output_message=$(! kubectl scale --current-replicas=1 --replicas=2 -f hack/testdata/recursive/rc --recursive 2>&1 "${kube_flags[@]}")
-  # Post-condition: busybox0 & busybox replication controllers are scaled to 2 # replicas, and since busybox2 is malformed, it should error
+  # Post-condition: busybox0 & busybox1 replication controllers are scaled to 2 replicas, and since busybox2 is malformed, it should error
   kube::test::get_object_assert 'rc busybox0' "{{$rc_replicas_field}}" '2'
   kube::test::get_object_assert 'rc busybox1' "{{$rc_replicas_field}}" '2'
   kube::test::if_has_string "${output_message}" "Object 'Kind' is missing"
@@ -1074,7 +1077,7 @@ __EOF__
   kube::test::get_object_assert pods "{{range.items}}{{$id_field}}:{{end}}" ''
   kube::test::if_has_string "${output_message}" "Object 'Kind' is missing"
 
-  ### Rollback a deployment
+  ### Rollout on multiple deployments recursively
   # Pre-condition: no deployments exist
   kube::test::get_object_assert deployment "{{range.items}}{{$id_field}}:{{end}}" ''
   # Command
@@ -1082,45 +1085,58 @@ __EOF__
   ! kubectl create -f hack/testdata/recursive/deployment --recursive "${kube_flags[@]}"
   kube::test::get_object_assert deployment "{{range.items}}{{$id_field}}:{{end}}" 'nginx0-deployment:nginx1-deployment:'
   kube::test::get_object_assert deployment "{{range.items}}{{$deployment_image_field}}:{{end}}" "${IMAGE_NGINX}:${IMAGE_NGINX}:"
-  ## Rollback to revision 1 - should be no-op
+  ## Rollback the deployments to revision 1 recursively
   output_message=$(! kubectl rollout undo -f hack/testdata/recursive/deployment --recursive --to-revision=1 2>&1 "${kube_flags[@]}")
+  # Post-condition: nginx0 & nginx1 should be a no-op, and since nginx2 is malformed, it should error
   kube::test::get_object_assert deployment "{{range.items}}{{$deployment_image_field}}:{{end}}" "${IMAGE_NGINX}:${IMAGE_NGINX}:"
   kube::test::if_has_string "${output_message}" "Object 'Kind' is missing"
-  ## Pause the deployment
-  output_message=$(! kubectl rollout pause -f hack/testdata/recursive/deployment --recursive 2>&1 "${kube_flags[@]}")
+  ## Pause the deployments recursively
+  PRESERVE_ERR_FILE=true
+  kubectl-with-retry rollout pause -f hack/testdata/recursive/deployment --recursive "${kube_flags[@]}"
+  output_message=$(cat ${ERROR_FILE})
+  # Post-condition: nginx0 & nginx1 should both have paused set to true, and since nginx2 is malformed, it should error
   kube::test::get_object_assert deployment "{{range.items}}{{.spec.paused}}:{{end}}" "true:true:"
   kube::test::if_has_string "${output_message}" "Object 'Kind' is missing"
-  ## Resume the deployment
-  output_message=$(! kubectl rollout resume -f hack/testdata/recursive/deployment --recursive 2>&1 "${kube_flags[@]}")
+  ## Resume the deployments recursively
+  kubectl-with-retry rollout resume -f hack/testdata/recursive/deployment --recursive "${kube_flags[@]}"
+  output_message=$(cat ${ERROR_FILE})
+  # Post-condition: nginx0 & nginx1 should both have paused set to nothing, and since nginx2 is malformed, it should error
   kube::test::get_object_assert deployment "{{range.items}}{{.spec.paused}}:{{end}}" "<no value>:<no value>:"
   kube::test::if_has_string "${output_message}" "Object 'Kind' is missing"
+  ## Retrieve the rollout history of the deployments recursively
   output_message=$(! kubectl rollout history -f hack/testdata/recursive/deployment --recursive 2>&1 "${kube_flags[@]}")
+  # Post-condition: nginx0 & nginx1 should both have a history, and since nginx2 is malformed, it should error
   kube::test::if_has_string "${output_message}" "nginx0-deployment"
   kube::test::if_has_string "${output_message}" "nginx1-deployment"
   kube::test::if_has_string "${output_message}" "Object 'Kind' is missing"
   # Clean up
+  unset PRESERVE_ERR_FILE
+  rm "${ERROR_FILE}"
   ! kubectl delete -f hack/testdata/recursive/deployment --recursive "${kube_flags[@]}" --grace-period=0
   sleep 1
 
-  ### Rollback a resource that cannot be rolled back (replication controller)
+  ### Rollout on multiple replication controllers recursively - these tests ensure that rollouts cannot be performed on resources that don't support it
   # Pre-condition: no replication controller exists
   kube::test::get_object_assert rc "{{range.items}}{{$id_field}}:{{end}}" ''
   # Command
-  # Create replication controllers (revision 1) recursively from directory of YAML files
+  # Create replication controllers recursively from directory of YAML files
   ! kubectl create -f hack/testdata/recursive/rc --recursive "${kube_flags[@]}"
   kube::test::get_object_assert rc "{{range.items}}{{$id_field}}:{{end}}" 'busybox0:busybox1:'
   # Command
-  ## Rollback to revision 1 - should be no-op
+  ## Attempt to rollback the replication controllers to revision 1 recursively
   output_message=$(! kubectl rollout undo -f hack/testdata/recursive/rc --recursive --to-revision=1 2>&1 "${kube_flags[@]}")
+  # Post-condition: busybox0 & busybox1 should error as they are RC's, and since busybox2 is malformed, it should error
   kube::test::if_has_string "${output_message}" 'no rollbacker has been implemented for {"" "ReplicationController"}'
   kube::test::if_has_string "${output_message}" "Object 'Kind' is missing"
-  ## Pause the deployment
+  ## Attempt to pause the replication controllers recursively
   output_message=$(! kubectl rollout pause -f hack/testdata/recursive/rc --recursive 2>&1 "${kube_flags[@]}")
+  # Post-condition: busybox0 & busybox1 should error as they are RC's, and since busybox2 is malformed, it should error
   kube::test::if_has_string "${output_message}" 'error when pausing "hack/testdata/recursive/rc/busybox.yaml'
   kube::test::if_has_string "${output_message}" 'error when pausing "hack/testdata/recursive/rc/rc/busybox.yaml'
   kube::test::if_has_string "${output_message}" "Object 'Kind' is missing"
-  ## Resume the deployment
+  ## Attempt to resume the replication controllers recursively
   output_message=$(! kubectl rollout resume -f hack/testdata/recursive/rc --recursive 2>&1 "${kube_flags[@]}")
+  # Post-condition: busybox0 & busybox1 should error as they are RC's, and since busybox2 is malformed, it should error
   kube::test::if_has_string "${output_message}" 'error when resuming "hack/testdata/recursive/rc/busybox.yaml'
   kube::test::if_has_string "${output_message}" 'error when resuming "hack/testdata/recursive/rc/rc/busybox.yaml'
   kube::test::if_has_string "${output_message}" "Object 'Kind' is missing"