Question 852 of 1,049
RBAC Inheritance from Management Group to Subscriptions
A company has 18 subscriptions under a management group named Corp. The audit team needs Reader access to all current and future subscriptions in Corp without creating one assignment per subscription. Which two statements are correct? Select two.
Quick Answer
The correct answer is to place new subscriptions under the Corp management group so they inherit the Reader role assignment. This works because Azure RBAC inheritance flows downward from a parent scope to all child resources, meaning a single role assignment at the management group level automatically applies to every subscription—current and future—within that hierarchy. On the AZ-104 exam, this concept tests your understanding of Azure governance and role-based access control, often appearing in scenarios where you must minimize administrative overhead. A common trap is assuming you need to assign roles at each individual subscription, which wastes effort and violates the principle of least privilege. Remember the memory tip: "Assign once at the root, and all children follow the suit."
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse Azure RBAC role assignments with Azure Policy or locks, thinking that a lock can grant permissions, or they may overlook the inheritance behavior of management groups and attempt to assign roles at a lower scope unnecessarily.
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
✓
Assign Reader at the Corp management group scope.
Assigning the Reader role at the Corp management group scope is correct because Azure RBAC allows role assignments to be inherited by all child resources, including all current and future subscriptions under that management group. This eliminates the need to create a separate assignment per subscription, as the single assignment at the management group level applies to all subscriptions within it.
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 Reader at the Corp management group scope.
Why this is correct
A management group assignment applies to every subscription under that branch, which is the cleanest way to cover current and future subscriptions.
- ✓
Place new subscriptions under the Corp management group so they inherit the assignment.
Why this is correct
Subscriptions inherit RBAC from the management group above them. Putting future subscriptions under Corp automatically extends the Reader access.
- ✗
Assign Reader separately at each subscription scope.
Why it's wrong here
Separate subscription assignments would work technically, but they do not meet the requirement to avoid one assignment per subscription.
When this WOULD be correct
If the question required granting Reader access only to specific existing subscriptions (not all current and future) and there was no management group hierarchy, assigning Reader at each subscription scope would be appropriate.
- ✗
Assign Reader at one resource group in each subscription.
Why it's wrong here
A resource group assignment is too narrow and would not cover the whole subscription. It also creates many more assignments than requested.
When this WOULD be correct
If the requirement were to grant Reader access only to a specific resource group within each subscription (e.g., for auditing a particular project), then assigning Reader at that resource group scope would be correct. The question would specify 'resource group' instead of 'subscription'.
- ✗
Create a lock on each subscription to provide Reader access.
Why it's wrong here
Resource locks protect resources from changes; they do not grant read permissions. They are unrelated to RBAC access delegation.
When this WOULD be correct
If the question asked for a method to prevent accidental deletion of resources across all subscriptions without changing role assignments, creating a lock (e.g., CanNotDelete) at each subscription scope would be correct.
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.
✓Assign Reader at the Corp management group scope.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
A management group assignment applies to every subscription under that branch, which is the cleanest way to cover current and future subscriptions.
✗Assign Reader separately at each subscription scope.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Assigning Reader at each subscription scope would require creating one assignment per subscription, which contradicts the requirement to avoid creating one assignment per subscription. It also does not cover future subscriptions automatically.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If the question required granting Reader access only to specific existing subscriptions (not all current and future) and there was no management group hierarchy, assigning Reader at each subscription scope would be appropriate.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think that assigning at each subscription is the standard way to grant access, overlooking the efficiency of management group inheritance for multiple subscriptions.
✗Assign Reader at one resource group in each subscription.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Assigning Reader at one resource group per subscription does not grant access to all resources in the subscription, only to that specific resource group. The requirement is for Reader access to all current and future subscriptions, not just a single resource group per subscription.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If the requirement were to grant Reader access only to a specific resource group within each subscription (e.g., for auditing a particular project), then assigning Reader at that resource group scope would be correct. The question would specify 'resource group' instead of 'subscription'.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think that assigning at a resource group is a way to limit scope while still covering multiple subscriptions, but they overlook that it does not provide access to the entire subscription as required.
✗Create a lock on each subscription to provide Reader access.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Locks are used to prevent accidental deletion or modification of resources, not to grant access. A lock does not provide Reader permissions; it only restricts operations regardless of the user's role.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If the question asked for a method to prevent accidental deletion of resources across all subscriptions without changing role assignments, creating a lock (e.g., CanNotDelete) at each subscription scope would be correct.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse locks with role assignments, thinking that a lock can grant read-only access because it prevents changes, but locks do not grant any access—they only restrict 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?”
Quick reference
Access Control Model Comparison
| Model | Acronym | Who Controls Access? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discretionary Access Control | DAC | Resource owner | Small teams, file shares |
| Mandatory Access Control | MAC | System / security labels | Classified govt / military |
| Role-Based Access Control | RBAC | Administrator (via roles) | Enterprise environments |
| Attribute-Based Access Control | ABAC | Policy engine (user + resource attributes) | Fine-grained, dynamic policies |
| Rule-Based Access Control | RuBAC | System rules / ACLs | Firewall rules, network ACLs |
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on AZ-104
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 company has 12 subscriptions under one management group. An external auditor needs Reader access to resources in every current and future subscription under that management group. Where should you assign the role?
easy- A.At each resource group in each subscription
- ✓ B.At the management group scope
- C.At one subscription scope only
- D.At one resource scope in the first subscription
Why B: Assigning the Reader role at the management group scope ensures that the external auditor inherits read-only access to all current and future subscriptions under that management group. Role assignments at the management group scope are inherited by all child subscriptions and resource groups, making it the single, scalable solution for the requirement.
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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