The answer is to add a filter on Severity to only include High and Medium alerts. This improves analytics rule precision by directly reducing false positives, as informational and low-severity alerts are often noise in threat hunting queries. By narrowing the rule’s logic to focus only on high-impact events, you ensure that only actionable incidents trigger alerts, which is a core principle of tuning detection rules in Microsoft Sentinel. On the SC-200 exam, this tests your understanding of how query filters—not entity mappings, frequency changes, or MITRE ATT&CK settings—are the primary lever for reducing false positives. A common trap is confusing rule configuration options: increasing frequency actually amplifies false positives, while adding EntityMapping or disabling MITRE ATT&CK mapping has no effect on the query’s result set. Remember the memory tip: “Filter first, not fluff”—always look for a WHERE clause or condition that excludes low-severity data before adjusting other settings.
SC-200 Perform threat hunting Practice Question
This SC-200 practice question tests your understanding of perform threat hunting. 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.
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
```json
{
"properties": {
"query": "SecurityAlert\n| where AlertName has_any ('Malware', 'Ransomware')\n| project TimeGenerated, AlertName, CompromisedEntity, ProviderName"
}
}
```
Refer to the exhibit. A threat hunter creates a scheduled analytics rule in Microsoft Sentinel using this query. The rule triggers frequently but generates many false positives. What is the best way to improve the rule's precision?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Add a filter on Severity to only include High and Medium alerts.
Option D is correct because adding a condition like Severity reduces false positives by filtering out informational alerts. Option A is wrong because adding EntityMapping doesn't change the query logic. Option B is wrong because increasing the frequency may cause more false positives. Option C is wrong because turning off MITRE ATT&CK mapping doesn't affect false positives.
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.
✓
Add a filter on Severity to only include High and Medium alerts.
Why this is correct
Filtering by severity reduces false positives from low-severity alerts.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Disable MITRE ATT&CK technique mapping.
Why it's wrong here
MITRE mapping doesn't affect alert generation.
✗
Add EntityMapping to map the compromised entity to an account.
Why it's wrong here
EntityMapping improves correlation but doesn't reduce false positives.
✗
Increase the query frequency to run every hour.
Why it's wrong here
Running more often doesn't improve precision; it may increase noise.
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 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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this SC-200 question in full detail.
Identify which SC-200 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.
Perform threat hunting — This question tests Perform threat hunting — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Add a filter on Severity to only include High and Medium alerts. — Option D is correct because adding a condition like Severity reduces false positives by filtering out informational alerts. Option A is wrong because adding EntityMapping doesn't change the query logic. Option B is wrong because increasing the frequency may cause more false positives. Option C is wrong because turning off MITRE ATT&CK mapping doesn't affect false positives.
What should I do if I get this SC-200 question wrong?
Identify which SC-200 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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
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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