- A
ZRS, because it protects against a zone failure inside one region.
Why wrong: ZRS protects against a zone failure, but it does not provide a readable secondary region copy for cross-region reporting.
- B
RA-GRS, because it provides read access to the secondary region but not zone redundancy.
Why wrong: RA-GRS gives a readable secondary region, but it does not provide zone-redundant protection in the primary region.
- C
RA-GZRS, because it combines zone redundancy in the primary region with read access to the secondary region.
RA-GZRS is the only option that satisfies both parts of the business requirement: it protects the primary region against a zone failure and also exposes the secondary region for read access if the primary region is unavailable. That combination is exactly what zone resilience plus readable geo-redundancy requires.
- D
GRS, because it keeps a full second copy in another region.
Why wrong: GRS provides geo-replication, but it does not allow read access to the secondary region and does not include zone redundancy in the primary region.
AZ-104 Implement and Manage Storage Practice Question
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of implement and manage storage. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A business stores audit exports in Blob Storage. The account must continue serving writes if one availability zone fails, and reporting users in the paired region must still be able to read the replicated data if the primary region becomes unavailable. Which redundancy option best meets the requirement?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"best"Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Clue:
"primary"Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
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 combines zone redundancy in the primary region with read access to the secondary region.
RA-GZRS (Read-Access Geo-Zone-Redundant Storage) is the correct choice because it combines synchronous zone-redundant replication across three availability zones in the primary region (protecting against a single zone failure) with asynchronous geo-replication to a paired secondary region, and enables read access to the secondary region if the primary becomes unavailable. This satisfies both requirements: continued writes during a zone failure and readable replicated data from the paired region during a primary region outage.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
ZRS, because it protects against a zone failure inside one region.
Why it's wrong here
ZRS protects against a zone failure, but it does not provide a readable secondary region copy for cross-region reporting.
- ✗
RA-GRS, because it provides read access to the secondary region but not zone redundancy.
Why it's wrong here
RA-GRS gives a readable secondary region, but it does not provide zone-redundant protection in the primary region.
- ✓
RA-GZRS, because it combines zone redundancy in the primary region with read access to the secondary region.
Why this is correct
RA-GZRS is the only option that satisfies both parts of the business requirement: it protects the primary region against a zone failure and also exposes the secondary region for read access if the primary region is unavailable. That combination is exactly what zone resilience plus readable geo-redundancy requires.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "best", "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
GRS, because it keeps a full second copy in another region.
Why it's wrong here
GRS provides geo-replication, but it does not allow read access to the secondary region and does not include zone redundancy in the primary region.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse GRS with RA-GRS or think ZRS alone is sufficient, failing to recognize that the requirement for both zone failure protection and secondary region read access necessitates the specific combination of zone redundancy and geo-replication with read access, which only RA-GZRS provides.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
RA-GZRS synchronously writes data to three Azure availability zones in the primary region, ensuring durability even if one zone fails, then asynchronously replicates to a paired secondary region. The read-access feature allows clients to read from the secondary endpoint (e.g., using the `-Secondary` suffix in the storage account URI) without waiting for a failover, which is critical for business continuity scenarios. Under the hood, Azure Storage uses a combination of local zone-redundant storage (ZRS) and geo-redundant replication, with a separate read-only endpoint for the secondary region.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-104 question test?
Implement and Manage Storage — This question tests Implement and Manage Storage — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: RA-GZRS, because it combines zone redundancy in the primary region with read access to the secondary region. — RA-GZRS (Read-Access Geo-Zone-Redundant Storage) is the correct choice because it combines synchronous zone-redundant replication across three availability zones in the primary region (protecting against a single zone failure) with asynchronous geo-replication to a paired secondary region, and enables read access to the secondary region if the primary becomes unavailable. This satisfies both requirements: continued writes during a zone failure and readable replicated data from the paired region during a primary region outage.
What should I do if I get this AZ-104 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best", "primary". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.
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