The answer is to assign the Network Contributor role at the VNet-vm resource scope. This is correct because Azure RBAC allows you to scope role assignments to a specific resource, such as a virtual network, rather than to the entire resource group. By assigning the role directly to VNet-vm, the engineer gains permissions to manage only that VNet and its subnets, while all other resources in rg-platform remain inaccessible, strictly following the principle of least privilege. On the AZ-104 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of Azure RBAC scopes—management group, subscription, resource group, and resource—and the common trap is assuming a resource group-level assignment is granular enough. A frequent distractor will offer the resource group scope, which would grant access to all resources within it. Memory tip: think "resource scope, not group scope" to lock down permissions to a single VNet.
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.
Exhibit
Shared resource group layout
Resource group: rg-platform
Resources:
- VNet-vm
- VM-web01
- VM-db01
- stlogs
Requirement: A network engineer must create and modify subnets and network settings only for VNet-vm. They must not be able to change either VM or the storage account in the resource group.
Based on the exhibit, where should the Network Contributor role be assigned so the engineer can manage only VNet-vm and its subnets, but not other resources in rg-platform?
Shared resource group layout
Resource group: rg-platform
Resources:
- VNet-vm
- VM-web01
- VM-db01
- stlogs
Requirement: A network engineer must create and modify subnets and network settings only for VNet-vm. They must not be able to change either VM or the storage account in the resource group.
A
Assign Network Contributor at the management group scope.
Why wrong: This would grant access too broadly and far beyond a single virtual network.
B
Assign Network Contributor at the subscription scope.
Why wrong: Subscription scope still includes all resources in the subscription and is broader than the requirement.
C
Assign Network Contributor at the resource group scope for rg-platform.
Why wrong: Resource group scope would include the VMs and storage account as well, which violates least privilege.
D
Assign Network Contributor at the VNet-vm resource scope.
Assigning the role directly to the virtual network limits access to that specific network object and its child subnets while excluding unrelated resources in the same resource group.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Assign Network Contributor at the VNet-vm resource scope.
Option D is correct because assigning the Network Contributor role at the VNet-vm resource scope grants the engineer permissions to manage only that specific virtual network and its subnets, while preventing any access to other resources within the rg-platform resource group. This follows the principle of least privilege by scoping the role assignment to the exact resource that needs to be managed.
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 Network Contributor at the management group scope.
Why it's wrong here
This would grant access too broadly and far beyond a single virtual network.
✗
Assign Network Contributor at the subscription scope.
Why it's wrong here
Subscription scope still includes all resources in the subscription and is broader than the requirement.
✗
Assign Network Contributor at the resource group scope for rg-platform.
Why it's wrong here
Resource group scope would include the VMs and storage account as well, which violates least privilege.
✓
Assign Network Contributor at the VNet-vm resource scope.
Why this is correct
Assigning the role directly to the virtual network limits access to that specific network object and its child subnets while excluding unrelated resources in the same resource group.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume assigning a role at the resource group scope is sufficient to limit access to a specific resource, but they overlook that resource group scope grants permissions to all resources of that type within the group, not just the intended one.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure RBAC role assignments are inherited from higher scopes (management group, subscription, resource group) down to lower scopes (resource). By assigning the Network Contributor role at the resource scope (the VNet-vm resource), the engineer's permissions are limited to that specific virtual network and its subnets, and they cannot modify other resources like storage accounts or VMs in the same resource group. This granular scoping is achieved by specifying the role assignment's scope parameter as the resource ID of VNet-vm, which follows the format /subscriptions/{subscriptionId}/resourceGroups/rg-platform/providers/Microsoft.Network/virtualNetworks/VNet-vm.
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.
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: Assign Network Contributor at the VNet-vm resource scope. — Option D is correct because assigning the Network Contributor role at the VNet-vm resource scope grants the engineer permissions to manage only that specific virtual network and its subnets, while preventing any access to other resources within the rg-platform resource group. This follows the principle of least privilege by scoping the role assignment to the exact resource that needs to be managed.
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.
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