AZ-104 Implement and Manage Storage Practice Question
A business-critical storage account must keep data available if one availability zone fails in the primary region. It must also keep a readable copy in the paired region so administrators can verify data during disaster recovery testing before failover. Which redundancy option should be selected?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse GRS with RA-GZRS, assuming geo-replication alone provides both zone redundancy and readable secondary access, but GRS does not offer zone-level protection within the primary region and its secondary copy is not readable until a failover is initiated.
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
✓
RA-GZRS, because it provides zone redundancy in the primary region and read access to the secondary region.
D is correct because RA-GZRS (Read-Access Geo-Zone-Redundant Storage) provides synchronous replication across three Azure availability zones within the primary region, ensuring data remains available if one zone fails. It also asynchronously replicates data to the paired region, where a read-only copy is available for verification during disaster recovery testing without requiring a failover.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
LRS, because it stores three copies in one datacenter and is the lowest-cost option.
Why it's wrong here
LRS protects against local disk or node failures, but all copies stay within one datacenter. It does not provide zone resilience or a readable secondary replica in another region. This does not satisfy the business continuity requirement.
When this WOULD be correct
A scenario where the requirement is only to protect against local hardware failures within a single datacenter, and cost minimization is the primary concern, with no need for zone or regional redundancy.
- ✗
ZRS, because it replicates data across zones in the same region but not to another region.
Why it's wrong here
ZRS helps with a zone failure in the primary region, but it does not create a secondary regional copy. Administrators would not have a read-accessible replica in the paired region for disaster recovery verification. The cross-region requirement is missing.
When this WOULD be correct
A scenario requiring high availability within a single region without the need for cross-region replication, such as an application that must tolerate zone failures but does not require a secondary readable copy for DR testing.
- ✗
GRS, because it replicates to the paired region and supports a secondary copy for recovery.
Why it's wrong here
GRS does replicate to a paired region, but the secondary copy is not readable. The scenario explicitly requires administrators to verify data in the secondary region before failover, which GRS does not provide. Read access is the key missing feature.
When this WOULD be correct
A scenario where the requirement is to have geo-redundancy for disaster recovery without needing zone-level resilience in the primary region, and where read access to the secondary region is not required (e.g., only failover is needed).
- ✓
RA-GZRS, because it provides zone redundancy in the primary region and read access to the secondary region.
Why this is correct
RA-GZRS combines zone-redundant storage in the primary region with geo-replication to the paired region, and it also enables read access to the secondary endpoint. That combination satisfies both requirements: survive a zone failure and allow administrators to validate replicated data before a planned or unplanned failover.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The AZ-104 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓RA-GZRS, because it provides zone redundancy in the primary region and read access to the secondary region.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
RA-GZRS combines zone-redundant storage in the primary region with geo-replication to the paired region, and it also enables read access to the secondary endpoint. That combination satisfies both requirements: survive a zone failure and allow administrators to validate replicated data before a planned or unplanned failover.
✗LRS, because it stores three copies in one datacenter and is the lowest-cost option.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
LRS does not protect against an availability zone failure because it stores data within a single datacenter, not across zones. It also does not provide a readable copy in the paired region.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A scenario where the requirement is only to protect against local hardware failures within a single datacenter, and cost minimization is the primary concern, with no need for zone or regional redundancy.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may choose LRS because it is the cheapest option and they overlook the specific requirement for zone failure protection and readable secondary copy.
✗ZRS, because it replicates data across zones in the same region but not to another region.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
ZRS replicates data across availability zones within a single region, but does not provide a readable copy in the paired region for disaster recovery testing, which is required by the question.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A scenario requiring high availability within a single region without the need for cross-region replication, such as an application that must tolerate zone failures but does not require a secondary readable copy for DR testing.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse zone redundancy (ZRS) with geo-redundancy (GRS/GZRS) or overlook the specific requirement for a readable copy in the paired region, assuming ZRS alone meets all availability needs.
✗GRS, because it replicates to the paired region and supports a secondary copy for recovery.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
GRS does not provide zone redundancy in the primary region; it only replicates to a single physical location in the primary region. The question requires availability if one availability zone fails in the primary region, which GRS cannot guarantee.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A scenario where the requirement is to have geo-redundancy for disaster recovery without needing zone-level resilience in the primary region, and where read access to the secondary region is not required (e.g., only failover is needed).
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse GRS with RA-GZRS, thinking that GRS also provides zone redundancy, or they may overlook the specific requirement for zone failure tolerance in the primary region.
Analysis generated from the official AZ-104blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Managed Identities for Azure Resources
Key term
Failover
Failover is the automatic switching to a backup system when the primary system fails, ensuring continuous operation and minimal downtime.
Key term
Availability
Availability is the measure of how often a system or service is operational and accessible when needed, typically expressed as a percentage of uptime.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This AZ-104 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the AZ-104 exam.