The answer is that the storage account inherits the Contributor role from the RG-Web resource group scope. This is because Azure RBAC inheritance flows downward from higher scopes—management group, subscription, resource group—to lower scopes like individual resources. When a user has multiple role assignments at different scopes, the effective permissions are the union of all assigned roles, meaning the storage account receives both the Reader role from the subscription and the Contributor role from the resource group, but Contributor’s broader write permissions override Reader’s restrictions for any actions Contributor allows. On the AZ-104 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of effective permissions and the additive nature of RBAC; a common trap is assuming the most restrictive role wins, but in RBAC, permissions are cumulative, not restrictive. Remember the memory tip: “RBAC adds up, it doesn’t lock down”—the effective set is always the sum of all assigned roles, not the least permissive.
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 developer has the Reader role assigned at the subscription scope. Later, the developer is assigned Contributor at the RG-Web resource group scope. Which permission is inherited by a storage account inside RG-Web?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The Contributor role from RG-Web is inherited by the storage account.
In Azure RBAC, permissions are inherited from higher scopes to lower scopes. The Contributor role assigned at the RG-Web resource group scope is inherited by all resources within that resource group, including the storage account. The Reader role from the subscription scope is also inherited, but the more permissive Contributor role at the resource group scope takes precedence for actions allowed by Contributor. Therefore, the storage account effectively has Contributor permissions.
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.
✗
Only the Reader role from the subscription scope is inherited by the storage account.
Why it's wrong here
This ignores the more specific Contributor assignment at the resource group scope.
✓
The Contributor role from RG-Web is inherited by the storage account.
Why this is correct
Permissions assigned at the resource group scope are inherited by resources in that group.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Neither role is inherited because storage accounts require a direct assignment.
Why it's wrong here
Azure RBAC supports inheritance from subscription and resource group scopes.
✗
Both roles are merged into a new custom role automatically.
Why it's wrong here
Azure does not combine role assignments into a new role definition.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often think only the most specific scope (resource group) applies and forget that roles from higher scopes (subscription) are also inherited, leading them to incorrectly choose Option A.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure RBAC uses a hierarchical scope model: management group, subscription, resource group, and resource. When a user has multiple role assignments at different scopes, the effective permissions are the union of all permissions granted by those roles. For example, if a user has Reader at subscription and Contributor at resource group, they can read all resources in the subscription but also manage (create, delete, update) resources within that specific resource group. This is because RBAC is additive—there is no 'deny' override unless a deny assignment is explicitly created.
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this AZ-104 question in full detail.
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: The Contributor role from RG-Web is inherited by the storage account. — In Azure RBAC, permissions are inherited from higher scopes to lower scopes. The Contributor role assigned at the RG-Web resource group scope is inherited by all resources within that resource group, including the storage account. The Reader role from the subscription scope is also inherited, but the more permissive Contributor role at the resource group scope takes precedence for actions allowed by Contributor. Therefore, the storage account effectively has Contributor permissions.
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 →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A user is assigned the Reader role on a resource group named RG1. Later, a new storage account is created in RG1. What access will the user have to that storage account without any new role assignment?
easy
A.No access, because RBAC assignments do not apply to resources created later.
✓ B.Reader access, because the resource group assignment is inherited by the storage account.
C.Contributor access, because storage accounts inherit the highest available permissions.
D.Owner access, because resource group permissions always become full control on child resources.
Why B: Option B is correct because Azure RBAC permissions assigned at a resource group scope are inherited by all resources within that resource group, including resources created after the assignment. Since the user has the Reader role on RG1, that role is inherited by the new storage account, granting read-only access to it without any additional role assignment.
Variation 2. A user had a direct Reader assignment on a virtual machine, but that assignment was removed. The user can still open the VM blade and view its properties. Which two sources could still be granting access? Select two.
hard
✓ A.A Reader assignment at the parent resource group, subscription, or management group scope can still be inherited by the VM.
✓ B.Membership in an Entra security group that has Reader at an inherited scope can still provide visibility to the VM.
C.A CanNotDelete lock on the VM is granting the user permission to view it.
D.An Azure Policy assignment that audits the VM is granting read access through compliance evaluation.
E.A private endpoint connected to the VM subnet is providing inherited read permission through networking.
Why A: Option A is correct because Azure RBAC permissions are inherited from higher scopes. Even if a direct Reader assignment on the VM is removed, a Reader role assigned at the parent resource group, subscription, or management group scope will still grant the user read access to the VM through inheritance. This is a fundamental behavior of Azure RBAC, where permissions flow down the hierarchy.
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.
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.