Question 24 of 985

Describe Microsoft 365 pricing and support →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

MS-900 Describe Microsoft 365 pricing and support Practice Question

This MS-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe microsoft 365 pricing and support. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 150 users with Microsoft 365 Business Basic licenses. They need to add Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 and Microsoft Intune for device management, but they want to retain their existing Basic subscriptions to minimize costs. What is the most cost-effective licensing strategy to meet these requirements?

Clue words in this question

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

Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.

Question 1mediummultiple choice

Full question →

A
Upgrade all users to Microsoft 365 Business Premium.
Why wrong: Incorrect. While Business Premium includes Defender and Intune, it costs more per user than add-ons, and the company already has Business Basic, making it less cost-effective if only these features are needed.
B
Purchase add-on subscriptions for Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 and Microsoft Intune for all users.
Correct. Add-on licenses provide the required features at a lower cost than upgrading to a plan that includes them for all users, while retaining the existing Business Basic subscriptions.
C
Upgrade all users to Microsoft 365 Business Standard.
Why wrong: Incorrect. Business Standard adds desktop Office apps but does not include Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 or Microsoft Intune.
D
Purchase Microsoft 365 E3 licenses for all users.
Why wrong: Incorrect. E3 is an enterprise plan that includes many features, but it is significantly more expensive than adding the two specific add-ons to Business Basic.

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

✓

Purchase add-on subscriptions for Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 and Microsoft Intune for all users.

Microsoft 365 Business Basic supports purchasing add-on licenses such as Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 and Microsoft Intune. Upgrading all users to Business Premium would include these features but at a higher per-user cost if only these two add-ons are needed. Business Standard does not include Intune or Defender. Purchasing add-ons for all 150 users is the most cost-effective way to add the specific capabilities without changing the base license.

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.

✗
Upgrade all users to Microsoft 365 Business Premium.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. While Business Premium includes Defender and Intune, it costs more per user than add-ons, and the company already has Business Basic, making it less cost-effective if only these features are needed.
✓
Purchase add-on subscriptions for Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 and Microsoft Intune for all users.
Why this is correct
Correct. Add-on licenses provide the required features at a lower cost than upgrading to a plan that includes them for all users, while retaining the existing Business Basic subscriptions.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Upgrade all users to Microsoft 365 Business Standard.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Business Standard adds desktop Office apps but does not include Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 or Microsoft Intune.
✗
Purchase Microsoft 365 E3 licenses for all users.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. E3 is an enterprise plan that includes many features, but it is significantly more expensive than adding the two specific add-ons to Business Basic.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.

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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.

TExam Day Tips

Underline the problem statement mentally.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Identify which MS-900 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this MS-900 question test?

Describe Microsoft 365 pricing and support — This question tests Describe Microsoft 365 pricing and support — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Purchase add-on subscriptions for Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 and Microsoft Intune for all users. — Microsoft 365 Business Basic supports purchasing add-on licenses such as Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 and Microsoft Intune. Upgrading all users to Business Premium would include these features but at a higher per-user cost if only these two add-ons are needed. Business Standard does not include Intune or Defender. Purchasing add-ons for all 150 users is the most cost-effective way to add the specific capabilities without changing the base license.

What should I do if I get this MS-900 question wrong?

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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