- A
Deploy the workload across Availability Zones
Zones place instances in separate datacenters to reduce outage impact.
- B
Place all instances in one Availability Set
Why wrong: Availability sets protect hosts, but not a full datacenter outage.
- C
Use a Virtual Machine Scale Set with autoscale
Scale sets can add or remove identical instances automatically.
- D
Run a single VM behind a load balancer
Why wrong: One VM remains a single point of failure and does not scale out.
- E
Use a proximity placement group
Why wrong: A placement group reduces latency, but it does not add resilience.
Question 647 of 1,170
AZ-104 Deploy and Manage Azure Compute Practice Question
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of deploy and manage azure compute. 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 customer-facing application has two goals: it must keep running if one datacenter in the region fails, and it must be able to scale out automatically during daily peaks. Which two Azure compute choices best match those requirements? Select two.
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
✓
Deploy the workload across Availability Zones
Option A is correct because deploying across Availability Zones provides datacenter-level fault tolerance: each zone is an isolated physical datacenter with independent power, cooling, and networking. If one zone fails, the application continues running in the other zones. Option C is correct because a Virtual Machine Scale Set with autoscale automatically adjusts the number of VM instances based on CPU or memory metrics, enabling the application to scale out during daily peaks and scale in during off-peak hours.
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.
- ✓
Deploy the workload across Availability Zones
Why this is correct
Zones place instances in separate datacenters to reduce outage impact.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Place all instances in one Availability Set
Why it's wrong here
Availability sets protect hosts, but not a full datacenter outage.
When this WOULD be correct
If the question required high availability for a workload within a single datacenter (e.g., protecting against hardware failures) and did not require cross-datacenter resilience or autoscaling, placing VMs in an Availability Set would be correct.
- ✓
Use a Virtual Machine Scale Set with autoscale
Why this is correct
Scale sets can add or remove identical instances automatically.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Run a single VM behind a load balancer
Why it's wrong here
One VM remains a single point of failure and does not scale out.
When this WOULD be correct
If the question asked for a cost-effective solution for a low-traffic application that requires high availability within a single datacenter (e.g., during planned maintenance), running a single VM behind a load balancer with an Availability Set would be correct.
- ✗
Use a proximity placement group
Why it's wrong here
A placement group reduces latency, but it does not add resilience.
When this WOULD be correct
For a latency-sensitive application (e.g., high-performance computing) where all VMs must be in close proximity to minimize network latency, and the question does not require fault tolerance across datacenters or autoscaling.
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.
✓Deploy the workload across Availability ZonesCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
Zones place instances in separate datacenters to reduce outage impact.
✗Place all instances in one Availability SetWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
An Availability Set only protects against rack-level failures within a single datacenter, not against a full datacenter outage. It also does not provide automatic scaling.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If the question required high availability for a workload within a single datacenter (e.g., protecting against hardware failures) and did not require cross-datacenter resilience or autoscaling, placing VMs in an Availability Set would be correct.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse Availability Sets with Availability Zones, thinking both provide datacenter-level fault tolerance, or they may overlook the requirement for automatic scaling.
✗Run a single VM behind a load balancerWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
A single VM cannot survive a datacenter failure because it is a single point of failure, and it cannot scale out automatically since scaling requires multiple instances.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If the question asked for a cost-effective solution for a low-traffic application that requires high availability within a single datacenter (e.g., during planned maintenance), running a single VM behind a load balancer with an Availability Set would be correct.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think a load balancer provides automatic failover and scaling, but a load balancer alone does not create redundancy or autoscaling without multiple VMs.
✗Use a proximity placement groupWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
A proximity placement group reduces network latency between VMs but does not provide datacenter failure resilience or automatic scaling, which are the two key requirements.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
For a latency-sensitive application (e.g., high-performance computing) where all VMs must be in close proximity to minimize network latency, and the question does not require fault tolerance across datacenters or autoscaling.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse proximity placement groups with high availability features, thinking that grouping VMs together ensures resilience, or they may overemphasize low latency without considering the explicit requirements for fault tolerance and scaling.
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?”
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Availability Sets (which protect against rack failures) with Availability Zones (which protect against datacenter failures), and they may overlook that a single VM behind a load balancer still has a single point of failure.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Availability Zones are physically separate locations within an Azure region, each with independent power, cooling, and networking, and they are connected through high-speed, low-latency links. Virtual Machine Scale Sets can be configured with a minimum instance count of 2 or more and spread across Availability Zones to combine zone-level fault tolerance with autoscaling. Under the hood, autoscale uses Azure Monitor metrics and a scale-out/scale-in rule engine that evaluates thresholds (e.g., average CPU > 75% for 5 minutes) to add or remove instances, and it respects cooldown periods to avoid flapping.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Deploy and Manage Azure Compute — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Deploy and Manage Azure Compute practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All AZ-104 questions
1,170 questions across all exam domains
- →
AZ-104 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
AZ-104 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related AZ-104 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Manage Azure Identities and Governance practice questions
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to Manage Azure Identities and Governance.
Implement and Manage Storage practice questions
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to Implement and Manage Storage.
Deploy and Manage Azure Compute practice questions
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to Deploy and Manage Azure Compute.
Implement and Manage Virtual Networking practice questions
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to Implement and Manage Virtual Networking.
Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources practice questions
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources.
AZ-104 Azure RBAC practice questions
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to AZ-104 Azure RBAC.
AZ-104 storage account practice questions
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to AZ-104 storage account.
AZ-104 virtual network practice questions
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to AZ-104 virtual network.
AZ-104 NSG practice questions
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to AZ-104 NSG.
AZ-104 Azure Monitor practice questions
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to AZ-104 Azure Monitor.
AZ-104 backup practice questions
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to AZ-104 backup.
AZ-104 managed identity practice questions
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to AZ-104 managed identity.
Practice this exam
Start a free AZ-104 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-104 question test?
Deploy and Manage Azure Compute — This question tests Deploy and Manage Azure Compute — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Deploy the workload across Availability Zones — Option A is correct because deploying across Availability Zones provides datacenter-level fault tolerance: each zone is an isolated physical datacenter with independent power, cooling, and networking. If one zone fails, the application continues running in the other zones. Option C is correct because a Virtual Machine Scale Set with autoscale automatically adjusts the number of VM instances based on CPU or memory metrics, enabling the application to scale out during daily peaks and scale in during off-peak hours.
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 →
Keep practising
More AZ-104 practice questions
- A storage automation service principal must upload, read, and delete blob data in one container by using Microsoft Entra…
- A subnet contains several application servers. You need to allow inbound TCP 3389 only from a management subnet named Su…
- A subscription admin wants to investigate who changed a resource and also review the platform-generated events for that…
- Based on the exhibit, which Azure feature should the administrator use to track this kind of platform-wide service issue…
- An administrator wants a script running on an Azure VM to create a resource in Azure without storing any passwords or cl…
- A PowerShell script runs on an Azure VM every night and uses Azure CLI commands to create tags and VM resources in anoth…
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.
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.