- A
Identify the incident by creating an analytics rule.
Why wrong: Identification happens before the incident is created; analytics rules generate incidents.
- B
Investigate the incident using hunting queries and entity timelines.
Investigation is a key step to understand the scope and impact.
- C
Remediate the incident by running playbooks or manual actions.
Remediation actions are taken to contain and eradicate the threat.
- D
Report the incident to the security team via email.
Why wrong: Reporting is part of communication but not a core step in the Sentinel incident response process.
- E
Triage the incident to determine severity.
Triage is the first step to prioritize incidents.
Question 1,600 of 1,639
SC-200 Respond to security incidents Practice Question
This SC-200 practice question tests your understanding of respond to security incidents. 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.
Which THREE steps are part of the incident response process when using Microsoft Sentinel?
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
✓
Investigate the incident using hunting queries and entity timelines.
Option B is correct because investigating an incident using hunting queries and entity timelines is a core step in the Microsoft Sentinel incident response process. After an incident is created, analysts use KQL-based hunting queries to proactively search for related threats and leverage entity timelines to visualize the sequence of events and entity interactions, which is essential for understanding the scope and impact of the incident.
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.
- ✗
Identify the incident by creating an analytics rule.
Why it's wrong here
Identification happens before the incident is created; analytics rules generate incidents.
- ✓
Investigate the incident using hunting queries and entity timelines.
Why this is correct
Investigation is a key step to understand the scope and impact.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Remediate the incident by running playbooks or manual actions.
Why this is correct
Remediation actions are taken to contain and eradicate the threat.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Report the incident to the security team via email.
Why it's wrong here
Reporting is part of communication but not a core step in the Sentinel incident response process.
- ✓
Triage the incident to determine severity.
Why this is correct
Triage is the first step to prioritize incidents.
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 confuse the proactive detection step of creating analytics rules (which generates incidents) with the reactive incident response step of triaging and investigating those incidents, leading them to incorrectly select Option A as part of the response process.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In Microsoft Sentinel, the incident response process follows a structured lifecycle: Triage, Investigation, and Remediation. During investigation, entity timelines aggregate all activities associated with a user, host, or IP across multiple data sources, enabling analysts to pivot from an alert to related events without writing separate queries. Hunting queries, often based on the MITRE ATT&CK framework, allow proactive discovery of threats that may not have triggered alerts, using KQL to search for patterns like anomalous logon times or unusual process creation.
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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SC-200 question test?
Respond to security incidents — This question tests Respond to security incidents — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Investigate the incident using hunting queries and entity timelines. — Option B is correct because investigating an incident using hunting queries and entity timelines is a core step in the Microsoft Sentinel incident response process. After an incident is created, analysts use KQL-based hunting queries to proactively search for related threats and leverage entity timelines to visualize the sequence of events and entity interactions, which is essential for understanding the scope and impact of the incident.
What should I do if I get this SC-200 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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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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