- A
Deny
The 'Deny' effect prevents the creation or update of a resource that does not comply with the policy. This effect blocks the deployment of a disallowed VM size, fulfilling the security team's requirement.
- B
Audit
Why wrong: The 'Audit' effect creates a warning event in the activity log when a non-compliant resource is created or updated, but it does not block the operation. The deployment would still succeed, which does not meet the requirement to block disallowed VM sizes.
- C
DeployIfNotExists
Why wrong: The 'DeployIfNotExists' effect automatically deploys a resource (such as an extension or a configuration) to make a non-compliant resource compliant. It does not block the initial deployment of a non-compliant resource, so it would not prevent the creation of a VM with a disallowed size.
- D
Append
Why wrong: The 'Append' effect adds additional fields (such as tags) to the resource during creation or update. It does not block the deployment; it modifies the resource to include the appended fields. It would not prevent the creation of a VM with a disallowed size.
Quick Answer
The answer is the Deny effect. This Azure Policy effect is the correct choice because it actively blocks any deployment that violates the policy rule, such as attempting to deploy a virtual machine with a size not on the approved list, by evaluating the request during resource creation or update and denying it immediately. On the Microsoft Azure Fundamentals AZ-900 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how Azure Policy effects enforce governance—specifically distinguishing between effects that prevent actions versus those that only audit or log non-compliance. A common trap is confusing Deny with Audit, but remember: Audit merely flags non-compliant resources without blocking them, which fails the security team’s requirement to block unapproved VM sizes. For a quick memory tip, think “Deny = Door slammed shut,” while “Audit = just a warning sticker.”
AZ-900 Describe Azure management and governance Practice Question
This AZ-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe azure management 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.
A company uses Azure Policy to enforce governance rules across its Azure subscriptions. The security team wants to ensure that all virtual machines deployed in a subscription must be of an approved size from a predefined list. If a user attempts to deploy a virtual machine with a size not on the list, the deployment must be immediately blocked. Which Azure Policy effect should the company use in the policy definition?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"immediately / without restart"Why it matters: Time or reboot constraint — the correct answer must take effect right away without requiring a reboot or reload.
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
Deny
The 'Deny' effect is correct because it actively blocks any deployment that violates the policy rule, such as deploying a virtual machine with a size not on the approved list. This effect evaluates the request during resource creation or update and denies it if the condition is met, ensuring immediate enforcement. In contrast, other effects like 'Audit' only log non-compliant resources without blocking them, which does not meet the security team's requirement to prevent unauthorized VM sizes.
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.
- ✓
Deny
Why this is correct
The 'Deny' effect prevents the creation or update of a resource that does not comply with the policy. This effect blocks the deployment of a disallowed VM size, fulfilling the security team's requirement.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "immediately / without restart" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Audit
Why it's wrong here
The 'Audit' effect creates a warning event in the activity log when a non-compliant resource is created or updated, but it does not block the operation. The deployment would still succeed, which does not meet the requirement to block disallowed VM sizes.
- ✗
DeployIfNotExists
Why it's wrong here
The 'DeployIfNotExists' effect automatically deploys a resource (such as an extension or a configuration) to make a non-compliant resource compliant. It does not block the initial deployment of a non-compliant resource, so it would not prevent the creation of a VM with a disallowed size.
- ✗
Append
Why it's wrong here
The 'Append' effect adds additional fields (such as tags) to the resource during creation or update. It does not block the deployment; it modifies the resource to include the appended fields. It would not prevent the creation of a VM with a disallowed size.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse 'Deny' with 'Audit' because both deal with non-compliance, but 'Audit' only logs violations without blocking, which fails the explicit requirement to immediately block the deployment.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Policy effects are evaluated in order of precedence, with 'Deny' having higher priority than 'Append' or 'DeployIfNotExists' during resource creation. Under the hood, the 'Deny' effect uses Azure Resource Manager's role-based access control (RBAC) to reject the PUT request with an HTTP 403 Forbidden status, preventing the resource from being provisioned. In a real-world scenario, a company might combine 'Deny' with 'Audit' to both block unauthorized VM sizes and log attempts for security auditing.
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
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
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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Describe Azure management and governance — study guide chapter
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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: Deny — The 'Deny' effect is correct because it actively blocks any deployment that violates the policy rule, such as deploying a virtual machine with a size not on the approved list. This effect evaluates the request during resource creation or update and denies it if the condition is met, ensuring immediate enforcement. In contrast, other effects like 'Audit' only log non-compliant resources without blocking them, which does not meet the security team's requirement to prevent unauthorized VM sizes.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "immediately / without restart". Time or reboot constraint — the correct answer must take effect right away without requiring a reboot or reload.
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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