SC-900 Describe the capabilities of Microsoft Entra Practice Question
This SC-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe the capabilities of microsoft entra. 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. A key principle to apply: grant controls determine the access decision (allow, block, require).. 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 uses Microsoft Entra ID. They want to enforce that users accessing the finance app from outside the corporate network must use multifactor authentication (MFA) and access from a device marked as compliant. Additionally, if the user's sign-in risk is medium or higher, access must be blocked. Which component of a Conditional Access policy should the administrator configure to specify the 'Block access' action for high-risk sign-ins?
Grant controls allow you to either 'Block access' or require specific conditions (e.g., MFA, compliant device) to grant access. The 'Block access' option is located here.
B
Conditions
Why wrong: Conditions are used to define the signals that the policy evaluates (e.g., sign-in risk, location, device). The block action is not set in conditions.
C
Assignments
Why wrong: Assignments define which users, groups, or applications the policy applies to, not the access decision.
D
Session controls
Why wrong: Session controls enforce restrictions after access is granted (e.g., use app-enforced controls, frequency of sign-in). They do not block access.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Grant controls
The 'Block access' action is specified within the Grant controls section of a Conditional Access policy. Grant controls allow administrators to either require specific conditions (like MFA or compliant device) to be met for access to be granted, or to explicitly block access entirely. By selecting 'Block access' in the Grant controls, the policy enforces that any user meeting the policy's conditions (such as high sign-in risk) is denied access.
Key principle: Grant controls determine the access decision (allow, block, require).
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Grant controls
Why this is correct
Grant controls allow you to either 'Block access' or require specific conditions (e.g., MFA, compliant device) to grant access. The 'Block access' option is located here.
Related concept
Grant controls determine the access decision (allow, block, require).
✗
Conditions
Why it's wrong here
Conditions are used to define the signals that the policy evaluates (e.g., sign-in risk, location, device). The block action is not set in conditions.
✗
Assignments
Why it's wrong here
Assignments define which users, groups, or applications the policy applies to, not the access decision.
✗
Session controls
Why it's wrong here
Session controls enforce restrictions after access is granted (e.g., use app-enforced controls, frequency of sign-in). They do not block access.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the 'Conditions' section (where sign-in risk is defined as a trigger) with the 'Grant controls' section (where the resulting action of blocking access is configured), leading them to incorrectly select Conditions instead of Grant controls.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Conditional Access policies are evaluated at authentication time by the Microsoft Entra ID authentication stack. The Grant controls section uses a Boolean logic engine that can combine multiple requirements (e.g., require MFA AND compliant device) or use the 'Block access' option, which short-circuits the authentication flow by returning an access denied response. In a real-world scenario, an administrator might combine 'Block access' for high-risk sign-ins with 'Require MFA' for medium-risk sign-ins within the same policy by using multiple Grant control blocks, but only one block can be set to 'Block access' per policy.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Grant controls determine the access decision (allow, block, require).
The 'Block access' option is configured within Grant controls.
Grant controls can enforce requirements like MFA or compliant devices.
If 'Block access' is selected, no other grant controls are evaluated.
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
Grant controls determine the access decision (allow, block, require).
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-900 question in full detail.
Review grant controls determine the access decision (allow, block, require)., then practise related SC-900 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
Describe the capabilities of Microsoft Entra — This question tests Describe the capabilities of Microsoft Entra — Grant controls determine the access decision (allow, block, require)..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Grant controls — The 'Block access' action is specified within the Grant controls section of a Conditional Access policy. Grant controls allow administrators to either require specific conditions (like MFA or compliant device) to be met for access to be granted, or to explicitly block access entirely. By selecting 'Block access' in the Grant controls, the policy enforces that any user meeting the policy's conditions (such as high sign-in risk) is denied access.
What should I do if I get this SC-900 question wrong?
Review grant controls determine the access decision (allow, block, require)., then practise related SC-900 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Grant controls determine the access decision (allow, block, require).
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