- A
No lock
Why wrong: This does not protect the resource group from accidental deletion.
- B
ReadOnly
Why wrong: ReadOnly blocks writes as well as deletes, which would interfere with maintenance tasks.
- C
CanNotDelete
This prevents deletion while still allowing normal write operations on the resources.
- D
Azure Policy deny assignment
Why wrong: Policy controls compliance, but it is not the same as a lock for delete protection.
Question 399 of 1,170
AZ-104 Manage Azure Identities and Governance Practice Question
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of manage azure identities and governance. 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.
You need to ensure engineers cannot delete a production resource group, but they must still be able to start and stop VMs and change network rules during maintenance. Which resource lock should you apply to the resource group?
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
✓
CanNotDelete
The CanNotDelete lock prevents deletion of the resource group while allowing all other operations, including starting/stopping VMs and modifying network rules. This meets the requirement because engineers retain full management capabilities except for deletion, which is explicitly blocked at the resource group scope.
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.
- ✗
No lock
Why it's wrong here
This does not protect the resource group from accidental deletion.
When this WOULD be correct
If the question stated that engineers should have full control including deletion, or if no restriction on deletion is needed, then no lock would be appropriate.
- ✗
ReadOnly
Why it's wrong here
ReadOnly blocks writes as well as deletes, which would interfere with maintenance tasks.
When this WOULD be correct
When the requirement is to prevent all changes to a resource group, including read operations like viewing secrets or keys, and no maintenance actions are needed.
- ✓
CanNotDelete
Why this is correct
This prevents deletion while still allowing normal write operations on the resources.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Azure Policy deny assignment
Why it's wrong here
Policy controls compliance, but it is not the same as a lock for delete protection.
When this WOULD be correct
A scenario where you need to prevent specific resource configurations (e.g., ensuring VMs are only deployed in certain regions) while allowing other operations. For example, 'You need to ensure that all VMs in a resource group are deployed in the West US region, but engineers can still manage them. What should you use?'
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.
✓CanNotDeleteCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
This prevents deletion while still allowing normal write operations on the resources.
✗No lockWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
No lock would allow engineers to delete the resource group, which violates the requirement to prevent deletion.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If the question stated that engineers should have full control including deletion, or if no restriction on deletion is needed, then no lock would be appropriate.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think that RBAC roles alone are sufficient to prevent deletion, overlooking that resource locks provide an additional layer of protection.
✗ReadOnlyWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
ReadOnly lock prevents any modifications, including starting/stopping VMs and changing network rules, which are required during maintenance.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
When the requirement is to prevent all changes to a resource group, including read operations like viewing secrets or keys, and no maintenance actions are needed.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse 'prevent deletion' with 'prevent changes' and think ReadOnly is a stronger lock, or they may not realize that ReadOnly blocks write operations needed for maintenance.
✗Azure Policy deny assignmentWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Azure Policy deny assignment is used to enforce compliance rules across resources, not to prevent deletion while allowing modifications. It would block all actions that violate the policy, including starting/stopping VMs or changing network rules, which contradicts the requirement for engineers to perform maintenance.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A scenario where you need to prevent specific resource configurations (e.g., ensuring VMs are only deployed in certain regions) while allowing other operations. For example, 'You need to ensure that all VMs in a resource group are deployed in the West US region, but engineers can still manage them. What should you use?'
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse Azure Policy with resource locks because both are used for governance and control. They might think a deny assignment can selectively block deletions while allowing other changes, not realizing it applies to specific policy conditions rather than operations.
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 confuse ReadOnly with CanNotDelete, assuming any lock will block all operations, when in fact ReadOnly blocks all write operations (including start/stop and network changes) while CanNotDelete only blocks deletion.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Resource locks are applied at the subscription, resource group, or resource scope and override any role-based permissions, meaning even an Owner cannot delete a resource with a CanNotDelete lock without first removing the lock. The lock is enforced via Azure Resource Manager's control plane, blocking DELETE calls to the resource group while allowing PATCH and POST operations (e.g., VM start/stop via POST). In a real-world scenario, you might combine a CanNotDelete lock with Azure RBAC roles like Virtual Machine Contributor to ensure engineers can manage VMs but not delete the resource group.
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.
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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: CanNotDelete — The CanNotDelete lock prevents deletion of the resource group while allowing all other operations, including starting/stopping VMs and modifying network rules. This meets the requirement because engineers retain full management capabilities except for deletion, which is explicitly blocked at the resource group scope.
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
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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