- A
Assign a custom role-based access control (RBAC) role that denies the delete action for all users.
Why wrong: This is incorrect because even with a custom role that denies delete, a user with the Owner role can modify or remove the custom role assignment, effectively bypassing the restriction. Resource locks are designed to override permissions for all users, including Owners.
- B
Configure an Azure Policy with the 'Deny' effect to block deletion of the subscription.
Why wrong: This is incorrect because Azure Policy cannot be applied directly to a subscription itself; policies are assigned to scopes (management groups, subscriptions, resource groups) to enforce rules on resources within those scopes. Additionally, policies can be excluded or overridden by users with sufficient privileges. A resource lock is the appropriate tool for preventing deletion of the subscription.
- C
Apply a resource lock of type 'Delete' at the subscription level.
This is correct. A 'Delete' lock prevents the subscription from being deleted but allows read and update operations on the resources inside. Resource locks apply to all users, including Owners, and can be set at subscription, resource group, or resource level. This directly meets the requirement to protect against accidental deletion while still allowing modifications.
- D
Apply a resource lock of type 'ReadOnly' at the subscription level.
Why wrong: This is incorrect because a 'ReadOnly' lock prevents both deletion and modification of the subscription and all resources within it. The requirement is to still allow modifications to resources, so a 'ReadOnly' lock is too restrictive. Only a 'Delete' lock should be used.
AZ-900 Describe Azure management and governance Practice Question
This AZ-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe azure management and governance. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.
A company has an Azure subscription that contains production resources. The IT manager is concerned that a user who has the Contributor role might accidentally delete the entire subscription. The company wants a solution that prevents anyone from deleting the subscription, even users with the Owner role, while still allowing modifications to the resources inside the subscription. What should the administrator configure?
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
Apply a resource lock of type 'Delete' at the subscription level.
Option C is correct because a resource lock of type 'Delete' at the subscription level prevents any user, including those with the Owner role, from deleting the subscription. This lock overrides all RBAC permissions, ensuring that while modifications to resources inside the subscription are still allowed, the subscription itself cannot be removed. This directly addresses the IT manager's concern about accidental deletion.
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.
- ✗
Assign a custom role-based access control (RBAC) role that denies the delete action for all users.
Why it's wrong here
This is incorrect because even with a custom role that denies delete, a user with the Owner role can modify or remove the custom role assignment, effectively bypassing the restriction. Resource locks are designed to override permissions for all users, including Owners.
- ✗
Configure an Azure Policy with the 'Deny' effect to block deletion of the subscription.
Why it's wrong here
This is incorrect because Azure Policy cannot be applied directly to a subscription itself; policies are assigned to scopes (management groups, subscriptions, resource groups) to enforce rules on resources within those scopes. Additionally, policies can be excluded or overridden by users with sufficient privileges. A resource lock is the appropriate tool for preventing deletion of the subscription.
- ✓
Apply a resource lock of type 'Delete' at the subscription level.
Why this is correct
This is correct. A 'Delete' lock prevents the subscription from being deleted but allows read and update operations on the resources inside. Resource locks apply to all users, including Owners, and can be set at subscription, resource group, or resource level. This directly meets the requirement to protect against accidental deletion while still allowing modifications.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Apply a resource lock of type 'ReadOnly' at the subscription level.
Why it's wrong here
This is incorrect because a 'ReadOnly' lock prevents both deletion and modification of the subscription and all resources within it. The requirement is to still allow modifications to resources, so a 'ReadOnly' lock is too restrictive. Only a 'Delete' lock should be used.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse Azure Policy (which governs resource configuration compliance) with resource locks (which protect against accidental deletion or modification at the management plane), leading them to choose Azure Policy instead of the correct lock type.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Resource locks are applied at the management plane level and work by adding a deny authorization entry that overrides any allow permissions in Azure RBAC, effectively creating a 'deny-all' for the specified operation (delete or read-only). This is enforced by Azure Resource Manager, which checks locks before evaluating RBAC assignments, ensuring that even the subscription's Owner cannot bypass the lock without first removing it. In a real-world scenario, this is critical for protecting production subscriptions from accidental deletion during maintenance or automation tasks.
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-900 question test?
Describe Azure management and governance — This question tests Describe Azure management and governance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Apply a resource lock of type 'Delete' at the subscription level. — Option C is correct because a resource lock of type 'Delete' at the subscription level prevents any user, including those with the Owner role, from deleting the subscription. This lock overrides all RBAC permissions, ensuring that while modifications to resources inside the subscription are still allowed, the subscription itself cannot be removed. This directly addresses the IT manager's concern about accidental deletion.
What should I do if I get this AZ-900 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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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This AZ-900 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-900 exam.
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