AZ-400 Configure processes and communications Practice Question
This AZ-400 practice question tests your understanding of configure processes and communications. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 organization uses GitHub and wants to enforce that all commits to the main branch are signed with a GPG key that is verified against the user's GitHub account. Additionally, you want to block unsigned commits even if the committer is a repository admin. Which configuration should you use?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Enable 'Require signed commits' and set 'Include administrators' to true.
Option C is correct because enabling 'Require signed commits' in a GitHub branch protection rule, combined with setting 'Include administrators' to true, enforces that every commit pushed to the protected branch must be signed with a GPG key verified against the user's GitHub account, and this restriction applies even to repository administrators. This configuration blocks unsigned commits entirely, meeting the requirement to enforce signing for all users including admins.
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.
✗
Add a pre-receive hook that rejects unsigned commits.
Why it's wrong here
GitHub does not support pre-receive hooks; this is a GitHub Enterprise Server feature, not applicable to GitHub.com.
✗
Enable 'Require signed commits' and set 'Include administrators' to false.
Why it's wrong here
This would exempt admins, allowing unsigned commits.
✓
Enable 'Require signed commits' and set 'Include administrators' to true.
Why this is correct
This enforces signed commits for all users, including admins.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Enable 'Require signed commits' and configure web commit signing.
Why it's wrong here
Web commit signing only signs commits made via the web, does not enforce for local pushes.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse 'Include administrators' with a separate setting or assume that admins are always exempt, leading them to choose Option B, but the question explicitly requires blocking unsigned commits for all users including admins, so 'Include administrators' must be set to true.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
GitHub's 'Require signed commits' branch protection rule leverages GPG or S/MIME signatures verified against the user's public key uploaded to their GitHub account. Under the hood, GitHub checks the commit signature using the `git verify-commit` mechanism and rejects commits that are not signed or have an invalid signature. The 'Include administrators' toggle ensures that even users with admin permissions on the repository cannot bypass this requirement, which is critical for compliance with policies like supply chain security (e.g., SLSA framework) or organizational audit requirements.
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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this AZ-400 question in full detail.
Configure processes and communications — This question tests Configure processes and communications — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable 'Require signed commits' and set 'Include administrators' to true. — Option C is correct because enabling 'Require signed commits' in a GitHub branch protection rule, combined with setting 'Include administrators' to true, enforces that every commit pushed to the protected branch must be signed with a GPG key verified against the user's GitHub account, and this restriction applies even to repository administrators. This configuration blocks unsigned commits entirely, meeting the requirement to enforce signing for all users including admins.
What should I do if I get this AZ-400 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.
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Question Discussion
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