- A
Assign the Contributor role at the resource group scope.
Why wrong: Contributor is too broad because it allows users to create and modify many resource types in the scope.
- B
Assign the Virtual Machine Contributor role at the resource group scope.
Why wrong: Virtual Machine Contributor still grants more VM-related permissions than the requirement allows, including broader management actions.
- C
Create a custom RBAC role with only the VM power actions and assign it at the resource group scope.
A custom RBAC role is the best fit for least-privilege access because the built-in roles are broader than the requirement. You can include only the actions needed for starting, stopping, restarting, and possibly reading VM state, then scope the role assignment to the specific resource group. That keeps the operators effective without giving them permissions to create, delete, or reconfigure related resources.
- D
Use Azure Policy to deny creation of new VMs in the resource group.
Why wrong: Azure Policy can enforce compliance, but it does not grant operational permissions to start or stop existing VMs.
Quick Answer
The answer is to create a custom RBAC role with only the VM power actions—start, stop, and restart—and assign it at the resource group scope. This is correct because built-in roles like Contributor or Virtual Machine Contributor grant excessive permissions, such as the ability to create or delete VMs and manage disks or networking, which violates the principle of least privilege. On the AZ-104 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of custom role design versus relying on built-in roles, and a common trap is selecting Virtual Machine Contributor, thinking it’s restrictive enough. Remember, if the requirement is strictly power actions, you must define a custom role using the Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/start/action, stop/action, and deallocate/action permissions. A quick memory tip: “Start, stop, restart—custom role is the smart part.”
AZ-104 Manage Azure Identities and Governance Practice Question
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of manage azure identities and governance. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 security team wants operators in one resource group to start, stop, and restart virtual machines, but they must not create VMs, delete VMs, or manage disks and networking. What should the administrator configure?
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
Create a custom RBAC role with only the VM power actions and assign it at the resource group scope.
The correct answer is C because the built-in roles (Contributor and Virtual Machine Contributor) grant more permissions than needed, including the ability to create or delete VMs and manage networking. A custom RBAC role with only the specific power actions (start, stop, restart) ensures least privilege, meeting the security team's requirement exactly.
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 Contributor role at the resource group scope.
Why it's wrong here
Contributor is too broad because it allows users to create and modify many resource types in the scope.
- ✗
Assign the Virtual Machine Contributor role at the resource group scope.
Why it's wrong here
Virtual Machine Contributor still grants more VM-related permissions than the requirement allows, including broader management actions.
- ✓
Create a custom RBAC role with only the VM power actions and assign it at the resource group scope.
Why this is correct
A custom RBAC role is the best fit for least-privilege access because the built-in roles are broader than the requirement. You can include only the actions needed for starting, stopping, restarting, and possibly reading VM state, then scope the role assignment to the specific resource group. That keeps the operators effective without giving them permissions to create, delete, or reconfigure related resources.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use Azure Policy to deny creation of new VMs in the resource group.
Why it's wrong here
Azure Policy can enforce compliance, but it does not grant operational permissions to start or stop existing VMs.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume the Virtual Machine Contributor role is restrictive enough, but it actually includes broader permissions like creating and deleting VMs, which violates the 'must not create VMs, delete VMs, or manage disks and networking' constraint.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Custom RBAC roles are defined using a JSON structure with 'Actions' and 'NotActions' fields, where VM power actions like 'Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/start/action', 'Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/powerOff/action', and 'Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/restart/action' are specified. This granular control prevents operators from performing other operations like 'Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/write' (create/delete) or 'Microsoft.Network/networkInterfaces/write' (manage networking). In real-world scenarios, this is critical for helpdesk teams that need to reboot VMs without risking accidental deletion or misconfiguration of infrastructure.
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.
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.
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Manage Azure Identities and Governance — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-104 question test?
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: Create a custom RBAC role with only the VM power actions and assign it at the resource group scope. — The correct answer is C because the built-in roles (Contributor and Virtual Machine Contributor) grant more permissions than needed, including the ability to create or delete VMs and manage networking. A custom RBAC role with only the specific power actions (start, stop, restart) ensures least privilege, meeting the security team's requirement exactly.
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 →
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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