- A
Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/start/action grants the ability to start the VM without broader management permissions.
This action is the precise permission needed to power on a virtual machine. It is narrower than Contributor and does not expose unrelated capabilities such as deleting the VM or changing attached resources. Using this action supports least privilege for operational support tasks.
- B
Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/restart/action permits a controlled restart operation on the target VM.
This action authorizes the restart operation specifically, which is separate from generic write or delete permissions. It allows the support engineer to perform the required maintenance task while keeping the role tightly scoped and avoiding access to networking or access-control operations.
- C
Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/delete gives the ability to remove the VM from the subscription.
Why wrong: Delete is far too permissive for a support-only role. It would allow destruction of the virtual machine, which is explicitly not required and would create unnecessary risk. This option is the opposite of least privilege for routine operations.
- D
Microsoft.Network/networkInterfaces/write is needed because a VM start or restart always requires NIC modification rights.
Why wrong: Starting or restarting a VM does not require permission to change the network interface. Granting NIC write access would broaden the role into network administration, which the requirement explicitly excludes. That would be excessive and unrelated to the task.
- E
Microsoft.Authorization/roleAssignments/write would let the engineer grant access to other users and manage permissions.
Why wrong: Role assignment write permissions are administrative access-control rights, not VM operations. Including them would let the engineer modify authorization for many resources, which is not needed and would violate the requirement to avoid granting access-management capabilities.
Quick Answer
The answer is Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/start/action and Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/restart/action. These two actions are correct because they grant the precise permissions needed to power on and reboot a specific virtual machine without exposing any broader management capabilities such as deletion, network configuration changes, or role assignments. In the AZ-104 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of Azure RBAC’s principle of least privilege, where custom roles are built by selecting only the required data plane actions from the resource provider namespace. A common trap is confusing the broader Virtual Machine Contributor role, which includes these actions but also allows deletion and network changes, with a tightly scoped custom role. Remember the memory tip: “Start and Restart are safe; Delete and Network are not.” By isolating only these two actions, you ensure the support engineer can perform their job while the VM’s security and configuration remain locked down.
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 support engineer must start and restart one specific virtual machine from the Azure portal, but must not be able to delete the VM, change networking, or grant access to others. Which two actions should be included in a custom role? 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
Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/start/action grants the ability to start the VM without broader management permissions.
Option A is correct because Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/start/action is a specific permission that allows starting a VM without granting broader management capabilities like deletion or network changes. This action is part of the Azure RBAC role definition and can be included in a custom role to limit the support engineer's scope to only starting the VM.
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.
- ✓
Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/start/action grants the ability to start the VM without broader management permissions.
Why this is correct
This action is the precise permission needed to power on a virtual machine. It is narrower than Contributor and does not expose unrelated capabilities such as deleting the VM or changing attached resources. Using this action supports least privilege for operational support tasks.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/restart/action permits a controlled restart operation on the target VM.
Why this is correct
This action authorizes the restart operation specifically, which is separate from generic write or delete permissions. It allows the support engineer to perform the required maintenance task while keeping the role tightly scoped and avoiding access to networking or access-control operations.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/delete gives the ability to remove the VM from the subscription.
Why it's wrong here
Delete is far too permissive for a support-only role. It would allow destruction of the virtual machine, which is explicitly not required and would create unnecessary risk. This option is the opposite of least privilege for routine operations.
- ✗
Microsoft.Network/networkInterfaces/write is needed because a VM start or restart always requires NIC modification rights.
Why it's wrong here
Starting or restarting a VM does not require permission to change the network interface. Granting NIC write access would broaden the role into network administration, which the requirement explicitly excludes. That would be excessive and unrelated to the task.
- ✗
Microsoft.Authorization/roleAssignments/write would let the engineer grant access to other users and manage permissions.
Why it's wrong here
Role assignment write permissions are administrative access-control rights, not VM operations. Including them would let the engineer modify authorization for many resources, which is not needed and would violate the requirement to avoid granting access-management capabilities.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may think network interface write permissions are required for VM operations, but start and restart only need compute-level actions, not network modifications.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Azure Resource Manager (ARM) evaluates RBAC actions at the resource provider level; for VM start and restart, only the compute provider's actions are invoked, and no network or authorization changes occur. In a real-world scenario, a custom role with only start and restart actions ensures the support engineer can perform troubleshooting without risking accidental deletion or security breaches, which is critical for production environments.
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.
- →
Manage Azure Identities and Governance — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Manage Azure Identities and Governance 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?
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: Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/start/action grants the ability to start the VM without broader management permissions. — Option A is correct because Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/start/action is a specific permission that allows starting a VM without granting broader management capabilities like deletion or network changes. This action is part of the Azure RBAC role definition and can be included in a custom role to limit the support engineer's scope to only starting the VM.
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.