Question 664 of 975

Deploy and manage a Microsoft 365 tenant →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The correct first step is to change the domain type from Internal relay to Authoritative in the Exchange admin center. This is because an Internal relay domain tells Exchange Online that it should route messages for that domain to an on-premises server, not deliver them locally. By switching to Authoritative, you instruct Exchange Online that it is the final destination for all recipients in that domain, which is required for email to be delivered directly to a shared mailbox like info@tailspintoys.com. On the MS-102 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of domain types and mail flow topology—a common trap is thinking you can simply add the shared mailbox while leaving the domain as Internal relay, which would cause a non-delivery report. Remember the key distinction: Authoritative means “I own this domain,” while Internal relay means “I pass it along.” A helpful mnemonic is “A for Authoritative, A for Accepts delivery.”

MS-102 Deploy and manage a Microsoft 365 tenant Practice Question

This MS-102 practice question tests your understanding of deploy and manage a microsoft 365 tenant. 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.

An administrator recently added a custom domain 'tailspintoys.com' to their Microsoft 365 tenant and verified it. They now need to configure the domain so that all recipient email addresses for 'info@tailspintoys.com' are delivered to a shared mailbox in Exchange Online. The domain is currently set as internal relay. What should the administrator do first to route email for this domain to Exchange Online?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "first"
Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.

Question 1mediummultiple choice

Review the full routing breakdown →

A
Update the MX record at the DNS registrar to point to Exchange Online
Why wrong: Incorrect. While updating the MX record is necessary, the first step is to change the domain type in the admin center to make Exchange Online authoritative.
B
Change the domain type from 'Internal relay' to 'Authoritative' in Exchange admin center
Correct. Setting the domain as authoritative ensures Exchange Online accepts and delivers all emails for this domain.
C
Create the shared mailbox 'info@tailspintoys.com' in Exchange Online
Why wrong: Incorrect. The shared mailbox can be created anytime, but the domain must first be authoritative for email to route correctly.
D
Disable the internal relay option for the domain in the Microsoft 365 admin center
Why wrong: Incorrect. The domain type is changed to authoritative, not just disabling a check. The internal relay status is not a simple toggle.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Change the domain type from 'Internal relay' to 'Authoritative' in Exchange admin center

Option B is correct because when a domain is set to 'Internal relay' in Exchange Online, the service expects to relay messages to an on-premises server for that domain. To have Exchange Online accept and deliver messages directly to a shared mailbox (or any hosted recipient), the domain must be changed to 'Authoritative'. This tells Exchange Online that it is the final destination for all recipients in that domain, enabling local delivery.

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.

✗
Update the MX record at the DNS registrar to point to Exchange Online
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. While updating the MX record is necessary, the first step is to change the domain type in the admin center to make Exchange Online authoritative.
✓
Change the domain type from 'Internal relay' to 'Authoritative' in Exchange admin center
Why this is correct
Correct. Setting the domain as authoritative ensures Exchange Online accepts and delivers all emails for this domain.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Create the shared mailbox 'info@tailspintoys.com' in Exchange Online
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. The shared mailbox can be created anytime, but the domain must first be authoritative for email to route correctly.
✗
Disable the internal relay option for the domain in the Microsoft 365 admin center
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. The domain type is changed to authoritative, not just disabling a check. The internal relay status is not a simple toggle.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates often think updating the MX record (Option A) is the first step to route email to Exchange Online, but they overlook that the domain type must be changed to 'Authoritative' first; otherwise, Exchange Online will not deliver messages to cloud recipients even after the MX record is pointed correctly.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Under the hood, Exchange Online uses the domain type to determine how to route messages: 'Authoritative' means the domain is hosted entirely in Exchange Online, and the service will reject messages for unknown recipients; 'Internal relay' means the domain is shared with an on-premises environment, and Exchange Online will attempt to relay messages to the on-premises server for any recipient not found in the cloud. This distinction is critical for hybrid deployments where some mailboxes remain on-premises, but for a pure cloud scenario with a shared mailbox, the domain must be authoritative to ensure local delivery.

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.

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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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this MS-102 question test?

Deploy and manage a Microsoft 365 tenant — This question tests Deploy and manage a Microsoft 365 tenant — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Change the domain type from 'Internal relay' to 'Authoritative' in Exchange admin center — Option B is correct because when a domain is set to 'Internal relay' in Exchange Online, the service expects to relay messages to an on-premises server for that domain. To have Exchange Online accept and deliver messages directly to a shared mailbox (or any hosted recipient), the domain must be changed to 'Authoritative'. This tells Exchange Online that it is the final destination for all recipients in that domain, enabling local delivery.

What should I do if I get this MS-102 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: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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