- A
Owner
Why wrong: Owner includes full resource management and the ability to delegate access, which is more than required.
- B
Virtual Machine Contributor
This allows VM management in the resource group without permission to grant access.
- C
User Access Administrator
Why wrong: This role manages access assignments and does not match the requirement.
- D
Reader
Why wrong: Reader cannot create virtual machines.
Question 636 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. 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.
Your company uses Microsoft Entra ID. A new engineer must be able to create virtual machines in RG-Dev but must not be able to assign roles to other users. Which built-in role should you assign at the RG-Dev scope?
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
✓
Virtual Machine Contributor
The Virtual Machine Contributor role provides the exact permissions needed: it allows creating and managing virtual machines within the specified scope (RG-Dev), but explicitly does not include the ability to assign roles to other users. This role grants write access to compute resources while preserving the principle of least privilege.
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.
- ✗
Owner
Why it's wrong here
Owner includes full resource management and the ability to delegate access, which is more than required.
When this WOULD be correct
Assign the Owner role at the RG-Dev scope when the engineer needs full control over all resources and user access, including role assignments, for that resource group.
- ✓
Virtual Machine Contributor
Why this is correct
This allows VM management in the resource group without permission to grant access.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
User Access Administrator
Why it's wrong here
This role manages access assignments and does not match the requirement.
When this WOULD be correct
If the requirement were to allow a user to manage user access to Azure resources, including assigning roles at a scope, then User Access Administrator would be correct.
- ✗
Reader
Why it's wrong here
Reader cannot create virtual machines.
When this WOULD be correct
Assign the Reader role at the RG-Dev scope when the requirement is to allow a user to view virtual machines and their properties but not make any changes or create new resources.
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.
✓Virtual Machine ContributorCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
This allows VM management in the resource group without permission to grant access.
✗OwnerWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The Owner role grants full access to all resources, including the ability to assign roles to other users, which violates the requirement that the engineer must not be able to assign roles.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
Assign the Owner role at the RG-Dev scope when the engineer needs full control over all resources and user access, including role assignments, for that resource group.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may assume Owner is needed to create VMs, overlooking that Virtual Machine Contributor provides sufficient VM management permissions without the extra role assignment capability.
✗User Access AdministratorWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The User Access Administrator role allows assigning roles to other users, which violates the requirement that the engineer must not be able to assign roles.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If the requirement were to allow a user to manage user access to Azure resources, including assigning roles at a scope, then User Access Administrator would be correct.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse the ability to create VMs with managing access, or think that any administrative task requires the User Access Administrator role.
✗ReaderWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The Reader role only allows read-only access to resources; it does not permit creating virtual machines, which is a requirement in the question.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
Assign the Reader role at the RG-Dev scope when the requirement is to allow a user to view virtual machines and their properties but not make any changes or create new resources.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates might mistakenly think Reader provides sufficient permissions for VM creation, or they confuse it with Contributor due to similar naming patterns.
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 confuse the Virtual Machine Contributor role with the Owner role, mistakenly thinking that any contributor-level role includes role assignment capabilities, when in fact only Owner and User Access Administrator have that permission.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Azure RBAC roles are collections of 'Actions' and 'NotActions' in JSON format. The Virtual Machine Contributor role includes 'Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/write' for VM creation but excludes 'Microsoft.Authorization/roleAssignments/write', which is the permission required to assign roles. In a real-world scenario, this role is ideal for DevOps engineers who need to deploy VMs in a development resource group without gaining the ability to elevate privileges of other users.
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: Virtual Machine Contributor — The Virtual Machine Contributor role provides the exact permissions needed: it allows creating and managing virtual machines within the specified scope (RG-Dev), but explicitly does not include the ability to assign roles to other users. This role grants write access to compute resources while preserving the principle of least privilege.
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
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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