PCSE Practice Question: Configuring Access Within a Cloud Solution Environment
An organization has a deny policy at the folder level that denies the permission resourcemanager.projects.create. A user has an allow policy at the project level granting roles/owner. What is the effective permission for the user to create projects in that project?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The user cannot create projects because the deny policy at the folder level explicitly denies the permission.
Deny policies take precedence over allow policies. The folder-level deny policy explicitly denies resourcemanager.projects.create. Even though the user has Owner role at the project level, the explicit deny at the folder level blocks project creation. Option A is correct because the deny policy explicitly denies the permission, which overrides any allow. Option B is incorrect because the deny is not effective simply because it is at a higher level; it is the explicit denial that causes the effect. A higher-level allow could grant permission in the absence of a deny, but here the explicit deny controls.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
The user cannot create projects because the deny policy at the folder level explicitly denies the permission.
Why this is correct
Correct. The folder-level deny policy explicitly denies the permission resourcemanager.projects.create, and deny policies override all allow policies regardless of the role or level.
- ✗
The user cannot create projects because the deny policy is at a higher level in the hierarchy.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. The phrase 'because the deny policy is at a higher level in the hierarchy' is misleading. It is not the hierarchical level per se that causes the denial; it is the explicit denial at the folder level. A higher-level allow without a deny would grant permission.
- ✗
The user can create projects because Owner role includes all permissions.
Why it's wrong here
Deny policies override allow policies, so the user cannot create projects.
- ✗
The user can create projects if the project-level allow is more specific.
Why it's wrong here
Deny policies are not overridden by more specific allow policies.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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