The answer is that the policy blocks all applications except Office 365. This is correct because a Conditional Access policy in Microsoft Entra ID applies its grant control—here, “Block access”—to all resources listed under “Include,” while any apps placed in the “Exclude” list are completely bypassed. Since the exhibit includes “All cloud apps” and excludes “Office 365,” the block applies to every other application, leaving only Office 365 accessible. On the Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the include/exclude logic, a common trap where candidates mistakenly think excluding an app removes it from policy scope entirely rather than recognizing it simply exempts that app from the action. A reliable memory tip is “Include blocks all, exclude saves one”—the excluded app is the only one that escapes the configured control.
SC-100 Practice Question: Design security operations, identity, and compliance capabilities
This SC-100 practice question tests your understanding of design security operations, identity, and compliance capabilities. 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.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Block all applications except Office365
The exhibit shows a Conditional Access policy that includes 'All cloud apps' in the target resources and is configured with a 'Block access' grant control. The 'Exclude' list contains 'Office365', meaning the policy applies to all applications except Office365. Therefore, the effect is to block access to all applications except Office365, making option D correct.
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.
✗
Allow all applications except Office365
Why it's wrong here
The grant control is block.
✗
Block all applications including Office365
Why it's wrong here
Office365 is excluded.
✗
Allow all applications including Office365
Why it's wrong here
Block control is applied.
✓
Block all applications except Office365
Why this is correct
Excluded Office365 is not blocked.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often overlook the 'Exclude' list and assume that selecting 'All cloud apps' with 'Block access' blocks everything, but the exclusion of Office365 means it is not blocked.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Conditional Access policies in Microsoft Entra ID evaluate the 'Include' and 'Exclude' lists for target resources before applying the grant control. The 'Block access' control overrides any other policies that might grant access, unless a session control or a more specific policy with a higher priority allows access. In this scenario, the exclusion of Office365 ensures that users can still access Office365 services, while all other cloud apps are blocked, which is commonly used to enforce access restrictions to non-Microsoft SaaS applications.
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this SC-100 question in full detail.
Design security operations, identity, and compliance capabilities — This question tests Design security operations, identity, and compliance capabilities — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Block all applications except Office365 — The exhibit shows a Conditional Access policy that includes 'All cloud apps' in the target resources and is configured with a 'Block access' grant control. The 'Exclude' list contains 'Office365', meaning the policy applies to all applications except Office365. Therefore, the effect is to block access to all applications except Office365, making option D correct.
What should I do if I get this SC-100 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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