This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of implement and manage virtual networking. 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. A key principle to apply: effective routes show all applied routing entries for a NIC.. 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.
Traffic from VM-App01 is unexpectedly reaching the internet through a virtual appliance. You need to see which routes are currently applied to the VM network interface. Which Azure tool should you use?
Effective routes for the network interface
Effective routes display the routing entries currently applied to the NIC.
NSG flow logs
Why wrong: NSG flow logs show allowed and denied traffic flows, not the effective route table.
Azure Policy compliance
Why wrong: Policy compliance does not show routing information.
Activity log
Why wrong: The activity log shows control-plane events, not active route entries on a NIC.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Effective routes for the network interface
Effective routes for the network interface shows the actual, evaluated routes applied to a specific VM NIC, including system routes, BGP-advertised routes, and user-defined routes (UDRs). This tool resolves the order of route preference (longest prefix match) and confirms whether traffic is being forced through a virtual appliance (e.g., via a UDR with next hop type VirtualAppliance). It directly answers why VM-App01's traffic is reaching the internet unexpectedly.
Key principle: Effective routes show all applied routing entries for a NIC.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Effective routes for the network interface
Why this is correct
Effective routes display the routing entries currently applied to the NIC.
Related concept
Effective routes show all applied routing entries for a NIC.
NSG flow logs
Why it's wrong here
NSG flow logs show allowed and denied traffic flows, not the effective route table.
Azure Policy compliance
Why it's wrong here
Policy compliance does not show routing information.
Activity log
Why it's wrong here
The activity log shows control-plane events, not active route entries on a NIC.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates confuse NSG flow logs (which show traffic flows) with effective routes (which show routing decisions), leading them to pick NSG flow logs when the question asks about the path traffic takes, not whether it is allowed or denied.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
NSG flow logs show allowed and denied traffic flows, not the effective route table.
Detailed technical explanation
Effective routes are computed by Azure's virtual network stack by merging system routes (0.0.0.0/0 to internet, VNet peering, gateway) with UDRs and BGP routes, applying longest prefix match. If a UDR with address prefix 0.0.0.0/0 and next hop VirtualAppliance exists, all internet-bound traffic is forced through the appliance, overriding the default system route. This can be verified in the Azure portal under the NIC's 'Effective Routes' or via the `az network nic show-effective-route-table` CLI command.
Key takeaway
Effective routes show all applied routing entries for a NIC.
Real-world example
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
Review effective routes show all applied routing entries for a NIC., then practise related AZ-104 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
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FAQ
Implement and Manage Virtual Networking — This question tests Implement and Manage Virtual Networking — Effective routes show all applied routing entries for a NIC..
The correct answer is: Effective routes for the network interface — Effective routes for the network interface shows the actual, evaluated routes applied to a specific VM NIC, including system routes, BGP-advertised routes, and user-defined routes (UDRs). This tool resolves the order of route preference (longest prefix match) and confirms whether traffic is being forced through a virtual appliance (e.g., via a UDR with next hop type VirtualAppliance). It directly answers why VM-App01's traffic is reaching the internet unexpectedly.
Review effective routes show all applied routing entries for a NIC., then practise related AZ-104 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
Effective routes show all applied routing entries for a NIC.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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