- A
Assign Virtual Machine Contributor at the subscription scope.
Why wrong: This would grant VM management rights across the entire subscription, which is broader than the requirement.
- B
Create a custom role with only the required VM actions and assign it at RG-Apps scope.
A custom role can include only the required actions, such as VM start, deallocate, and read, without granting unnecessary permissions. Assigning the role at RG-Apps scope keeps the permissions limited to the target resource group and is the cleanest least-privilege design.
- C
Assign Reader and Virtual Machine Contributor together at the resource group scope.
Why wrong: Combining built-in roles still grants more permissions than needed and does not reduce the VM management surface area.
- D
Assign Owner at the resource group scope to avoid troubleshooting access issues.
Why wrong: Owner grants full control, including permission management and deletion, which is far more access than the team needs.
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 team in RG-Apps must be able to start, stop, and deallocate virtual machines and read their properties. Built-in roles available to the team are broader than necessary. What should the administrator do?
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 role with only the required VM actions and assign it at RG-Apps scope.
Option B is correct because the team needs specific actions (start, stop, deallocate, read properties) that are a subset of the Virtual Machine Contributor role's permissions. Creating a custom role with only the required actions (Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/start/action, Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/deallocate/action, Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/read, etc.) and assigning it at the RG-Apps scope provides least-privilege access without granting broader capabilities like creating or deleting VMs.
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 Virtual Machine Contributor at the subscription scope.
Why it's wrong here
This would grant VM management rights across the entire subscription, which is broader than the requirement.
When this WOULD be correct
If the question required the team to manage all VMs across multiple resource groups within the subscription, and the built-in Virtual Machine Contributor role exactly matched the needed permissions, then assigning it at subscription scope would be appropriate.
- ✓
Create a custom role with only the required VM actions and assign it at RG-Apps scope.
Why this is correct
A custom role can include only the required actions, such as VM start, deallocate, and read, without granting unnecessary permissions. Assigning the role at RG-Apps scope keeps the permissions limited to the target resource group and is the cleanest least-privilege design.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Assign Reader and Virtual Machine Contributor together at the resource group scope.
Why it's wrong here
Combining built-in roles still grants more permissions than needed and does not reduce the VM management surface area.
When this WOULD be correct
This combination would be correct if the team needed to both read VM properties (Reader) and perform all VM management actions including create/delete (Virtual Machine Contributor) at the resource group scope.
- ✗
Assign Owner at the resource group scope to avoid troubleshooting access issues.
Why it's wrong here
Owner grants full control, including permission management and deletion, which is far more access than the team needs.
When this WOULD be correct
A scenario where the team needs full administrative control over the resource group, including the ability to manage access and all resource operations, and the principle of least privilege is not a concern.
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.
✓Create a custom role with only the required VM actions and assign it at RG-Apps scope.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
A custom role can include only the required actions, such as VM start, deallocate, and read, without granting unnecessary permissions. Assigning the role at RG-Apps scope keeps the permissions limited to the target resource group and is the cleanest least-privilege design.
✗Assign Virtual Machine Contributor at the subscription scope.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Virtual Machine Contributor at subscription scope grants broader permissions than needed, including the ability to manage VMs beyond the RG-Apps resource group, violating the principle of least privilege.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If the question required the team to manage all VMs across multiple resource groups within the subscription, and the built-in Virtual Machine Contributor role exactly matched the needed permissions, then assigning it at subscription scope would be appropriate.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think Virtual Machine Contributor is the closest built-in role for VM management and assume subscription scope is acceptable because it's simpler than creating a custom role.
✗Assign Reader and Virtual Machine Contributor together at the resource group scope.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Assigning Reader and Virtual Machine Contributor together at the resource group scope grants more permissions than needed, including the ability to create and manage VMs, which exceeds the required start, stop, deallocate, and read properties actions.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This combination would be correct if the team needed to both read VM properties (Reader) and perform all VM management actions including create/delete (Virtual Machine Contributor) at the resource group scope.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think combining Reader with Virtual Machine Contributor limits permissions to only read and start/stop/deallocate, but Virtual Machine Contributor includes broader VM management capabilities.
✗Assign Owner at the resource group scope to avoid troubleshooting access issues.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Assigning Owner at the resource group scope grants full control over all resources, including permissions management, which is far broader than the required start, stop, deallocate, and read properties actions.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A scenario where the team needs full administrative control over the resource group, including the ability to manage access and all resource operations, and the principle of least privilege is not a concern.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think Owner is a simple way to avoid future access issues, overlooking that it provides excessive permissions beyond the required actions.
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 often choose Virtual Machine Contributor (Option A or C) thinking it covers start/stop/deallocate, but they overlook that it also includes broader VM management actions like create, delete, and modify, which violates the least-privilege requirement stated in the question.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure custom roles are defined using a JSON structure with Actions, NotActions, DataActions, and AssignableScopes. For this scenario, the custom role would include specific actions under Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/ (e.g., start, deallocate, read) and exclude any write or delete actions. Under the hood, Azure RBAC evaluates permissions at the scope of assignment (RG-Apps) and denies any action not explicitly allowed, ensuring granular control. A real-world scenario might involve a DevOps team that needs to power-cycle VMs for maintenance but must not be able to modify VM configurations or delete them, making a custom role essential.
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.
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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 role with only the required VM actions and assign it at RG-Apps scope. — Option B is correct because the team needs specific actions (start, stop, deallocate, read properties) that are a subset of the Virtual Machine Contributor role's permissions. Creating a custom role with only the required actions (Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/start/action, Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/deallocate/action, Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/read, etc.) and assigning it at the RG-Apps scope provides least-privilege access without granting broader capabilities like creating or deleting VMs.
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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