This AZ-400 practice question tests your understanding of design and implement a source control strategy. 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 Azure DevOps repository contains a large binary file that is slowing down clone operations. Which Git feature should you use to reduce the clone time?
Shallow clone
Why wrong: Reduces history depth, not large file size.
Git LFS (Large File Storage)
Replaces large files with pointers.
Depth parameter in clone command
Why wrong: Same as shallow clone.
Sparse checkout
Why wrong: Limits checkout to folders, not file size.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Git LFS (Large File Storage)
Git LFS (Large File Storage) is the correct solution because it replaces large binary files in the repository with lightweight text pointers, storing the actual binary content in external remote storage. This prevents the large file from being downloaded during every clone, significantly reducing clone time and repository size on disk.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Shallow clone
Why it's wrong here
Reduces history depth, not large file size.
Git LFS (Large File Storage)
Why this is correct
Replaces large files with pointers.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Depth parameter in clone command
Why it's wrong here
Same as shallow clone.
Sparse checkout
Why it's wrong here
Limits checkout to folders, not file size.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates confuse shallow clones or sparse checkouts as solutions for large files, when in fact those features address history depth or working tree scope, not the fundamental problem of large binary objects being stored and transferred in the repository.
Detailed technical explanation
Git LFS works by intercepting the smudge and clean filters in Git’s filter pipeline: when you clone, Git downloads only the pointer files (typically ~100 bytes each), and the actual binary content is lazily fetched on checkout via HTTPS. This is especially critical for repositories with assets like game builds, CAD files, or datasets, where a single binary can be hundreds of megabytes and would otherwise bloat every clone’s transfer and storage.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
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FAQ
Design and implement a source control strategy — This question tests Design and implement a source control strategy — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Git LFS (Large File Storage) — Git LFS (Large File Storage) is the correct solution because it replaces large binary files in the repository with lightweight text pointers, storing the actual binary content in external remote storage. This prevents the large file from being downloaded during every clone, significantly reducing clone time and repository size on disk.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
This AZ-400 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the AZ-400 exam.
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