A stateless Linux API should start with 2 instances, scale out to 6 when average CPU stays above 75 percent for 10 minutes, and scale back in when load drops. Which Azure compute resource should the administrator deploy?

An availability set with manual VM resizing.

Manual resizing does not provide automatic scaling and would require operator intervention during every demand change.

A single Standard D-series VM with scheduled shutdown.

A single VM cannot scale out horizontally and would become a bottleneck under the stated load changes.

A load balancer in front of two unmanaged VMs.

A load balancer distributes traffic, but it does not create or remove instances when demand changes.

What does this AZ-104 question test?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: A virtual machine scale set with autoscale rules. — A virtual machine scale set is the right resource because the workload needs automatic horizontal scaling. VMSS supports a minimum and maximum instance count and can use autoscale rules tied to metrics like CPU. That makes it appropriate for a stateless API that must expand during sustained load and shrink when demand falls, without requiring administrators to create or resize individual VMs manually. Why others are wrong: An availability set only improves resilience and does not add autoscaling behavior. A single VM cannot scale out at all, and a load balancer alone only distributes traffic across existing instances. The essential requirement here is automated instance count changes, which is the core purpose of VM scale sets.

What should I do if I get this AZ-104 question wrong?

Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.