This SC-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe the capabilities of microsoft entra. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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.
Refer to the exhibit. An administrator runs the Azure CLI commands shown. What is the purpose of these commands?
To create a new service principal.
Why wrong: It authenticates an existing service principal.
To list all Azure subscriptions.
Why wrong: It does not list subscriptions.
To log in to Azure as a user with MFA.
Why wrong: It uses a service principal, not a user.
To authenticate a service principal for automated tasks.
Service principal authentication is used for automation.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
To authenticate a service principal for automated tasks.
The Azure CLI commands shown are used to authenticate a service principal for automated tasks. Specifically, `az login --service-principal -u <app-id> -p <password> --tenant <tenant-id>` authenticates using the service principal's credentials without interactive user login, enabling non-interactive automation or scripts.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
To create a new service principal.
Why it's wrong here
It authenticates an existing service principal.
To list all Azure subscriptions.
Why it's wrong here
It does not list subscriptions.
To log in to Azure as a user with MFA.
Why it's wrong here
It uses a service principal, not a user.
To authenticate a service principal for automated tasks.
Why this is correct
Service principal authentication is used for automation.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates confuse the `az login` command with creating a service principal, but `az ad sp create-for-rbac` is the command for creation, while `az login --service-principal` is strictly for authentication.
Detailed technical explanation
Service principal authentication uses OAuth 2.0 client credentials grant flow, where the `-p` parameter provides the client secret (password) to obtain an access token from Microsoft Entra ID. This token is then used for subsequent Azure Resource Manager API calls. In real-world scenarios, this is essential for CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions) where no human interaction is available.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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.
What to study next
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FAQ
Describe the capabilities of Microsoft Entra — This question tests Describe the capabilities of Microsoft Entra — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: To authenticate a service principal for automated tasks. — The Azure CLI commands shown are used to authenticate a service principal for automated tasks. Specifically, `az login --service-principal -u <app-id> -p <password> --tenant <tenant-id>` authenticates using the service principal's credentials without interactive user login, enabling non-interactive automation or scripts.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
This SC-900 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the SC-900 exam.
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