The answer is to assign the Contributor role at the VM1 resource scope and at the VM2 resource scope individually. This is correct because Azure role-based access control (RBAC) allows you to assign permissions at a granular resource scope, meaning the contractor receives Contributor rights only on those specific virtual machines, while all other resources within rg-prod—and any other resource groups or subscriptions—remain completely inaccessible. On the AZ-104 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of scope hierarchy and the principle of least privilege, often appearing as a trick where candidates mistakenly assign the role at the resource group scope, which would grant Contributor access to everything inside rg-prod. A common trap is thinking a single assignment can cover multiple resources, but Azure requires separate role assignments for each unique resource scope. Remember the memory tip: “One resource, one assignment—scope it tight, keep access light.”
AZ-104 Manage Azure Identities and Governance Practice Question
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of manage azure identities and governance. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 contractor needs Contributor on only VM1 and VM2 in rg-prod. Other resources in rg-prod must remain untouched, and the contractor must not gain access to any other resource groups or subscriptions. Which two role-assignment scopes meet the requirement? Select two.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Assign the role at the VM1 resource scope.
Option A is correct because assigning the Contributor role at the VM1 resource scope grants the contractor permissions exclusively to that virtual machine, leaving all other resources in rg-prod and other scopes untouched. This meets the requirement of limiting access to only VM1 and VM2 within rg-prod.
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.
✓
Assign the role at the VM1 resource scope.
Why this is correct
A resource-level assignment limits permissions to VM1 and does not extend to unrelated resources.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Assign the role at the VM2 resource scope.
Why this is correct
A second resource-level assignment can independently grant access to VM2 only.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Assign the role at the rg-prod resource group scope.
Why it's wrong here
Resource group scope would grant access to every resource inside rg-prod, which is broader than required.
✗
Assign the role at the subscription scope.
Why it's wrong here
Subscription scope would expose far more resources than the contractor should manage.
✗
Assign the role at the management group scope.
Why it's wrong here
Management-group scope is the broadest option here and would inherit into many subscriptions.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often default to assigning roles at the resource group scope for simplicity, forgetting that this grants access to all resources in that group, not just the specified VMs.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Role assignments in Azure RBAC are inherited from higher scopes (management group, subscription, resource group) down to lower scopes (resource). By assigning at the individual resource scope (VM1 and VM2), you create a granular permission boundary that prevents inheritance to other resources. This is implemented via Azure RBAC's role definition and assignment objects stored in Azure Resource Manager, where each assignment has a scope property that defines the boundary of effect.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this AZ-104 question in full detail.
Manage Azure Identities and Governance — This question tests Manage Azure Identities and Governance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Assign the role at the VM1 resource scope. — Option A is correct because assigning the Contributor role at the VM1 resource scope grants the contractor permissions exclusively to that virtual machine, leaving all other resources in rg-prod and other scopes untouched. This meets the requirement of limiting access to only VM1 and VM2 within rg-prod.
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. You need to ensure that a contractor can manage virtual machines only in the RG-Test resource group and cannot access any other resource groups in the subscription. What is the best way to achieve this?
medium
A.Assign the Virtual Machine Contributor role at the subscription scope
✓ B.Assign the Virtual Machine Contributor role at the RG-Test scope
C.Assign the Reader role at the RG-Test scope
D.Assign the Owner role at the RG-Test scope
Why B: Assigning the Virtual Machine Contributor role at the RG-Test scope grants the contractor permissions to manage virtual machines within that specific resource group only, adhering to the principle of least privilege. This role includes actions like creating, starting, stopping, and deleting VMs, but does not allow access to other resource groups in the subscription because the role assignment is scoped to RG-Test.
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.