- A
ZRS, because it keeps copies across zones but does not replicate to another region.
Why wrong: ZRS protects against a zone outage within one region, but it does not provide geo-replication or secondary-region read access.
- B
RA-GZRS, because it combines zone redundancy with geo-replication and read access to the secondary region.
RA-GZRS is designed for exactly this requirement. It replicates data across zones in the primary region and also asynchronously replicates to a paired secondary region. The read-access feature means you can still retrieve data from the secondary endpoint if the primary region is unavailable, which is useful for audit or continuity scenarios.
- C
LRS, because it keeps three copies in a single datacenter and is sufficient for regional resilience.
Why wrong: LRS protects only against localized hardware failures in one datacenter. It does not handle zone failures or regional outages.
- D
GRS, because it provides geo-replication and always allows direct reads from the secondary region.
Why wrong: GRS adds geo-replication, but the secondary region is not readable unless you choose the read-access variant. It also does not provide 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. 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 finance team stores PDF statements in Azure Blob Storage. The workload must survive a zone failure in the primary region, and if the entire region becomes unavailable, auditors still need read-only access to the copies in the secondary region. Which redundancy option should you choose?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
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 with geo-replication and read access to the secondary region.
RA-GZRS (Read-Access Geo-Zone-Redundant Storage) is the correct choice because it combines zone redundancy (synchronous replication across Azure availability zones within the primary region) with geo-replication (asynchronous replication to a secondary region), and crucially enables read access to the secondary region even when the primary is unavailable. This meets the requirement to survive a zone failure (via ZRS) and provide read-only access during a full regional outage (via the read-access geo-replication endpoint).
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 keeps copies across zones but does not replicate to another region.
Why it's wrong here
ZRS protects against a zone outage within one region, but it does not provide geo-replication or secondary-region read access.
- ✓
RA-GZRS, because it combines zone redundancy with geo-replication and read access to the secondary region.
Why this is correct
RA-GZRS is designed for exactly this requirement. It replicates data across zones in the primary region and also asynchronously replicates to a paired secondary region. The read-access feature means you can still retrieve data from the secondary endpoint if the primary region is unavailable, which is useful for audit or continuity scenarios.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
LRS, because it keeps three copies in a single datacenter and is sufficient for regional resilience.
Why it's wrong here
LRS protects only against localized hardware failures in one datacenter. It does not handle zone failures or regional outages.
- ✗
GRS, because it provides geo-replication and always allows direct reads from the secondary region.
Why it's wrong here
GRS adds geo-replication, but the secondary region is not readable unless you choose the read-access variant. It also does not provide 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, forgetting that standard GRS does not allow direct reads from the secondary region without a manual or automatic failover, while RA-GZRS (and RA-GRS) explicitly provide that read access.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, RA-GZRS uses synchronous replication across three availability zones in the primary region for durability against zone failures, then asynchronously replicates the data to a single zone in the secondary region (using LRS in that secondary region). The read-access endpoint (e.g., `*.secondary.blob.core.windows.net`) is always available for read operations, but the data in the secondary region may be slightly stale due to the asynchronous replication lag (typically minutes). This is ideal for audit scenarios where eventual consistency is acceptable.
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 with geo-replication and read access to the secondary region. — RA-GZRS (Read-Access Geo-Zone-Redundant Storage) is the correct choice because it combines zone redundancy (synchronous replication across Azure availability zones within the primary region) with geo-replication (asynchronous replication to a secondary region), and crucially enables read access to the secondary region even when the primary is unavailable. This meets the requirement to survive a zone failure (via ZRS) and provide read-only access during a full regional outage (via the read-access geo-replication endpoint).
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: "primary". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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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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