The correct answer is weekly full backups with transactional log backups every 15 minutes. This method meets the 15-minute RPO by capturing every database change in the transaction log at that exact interval, while the weekly full backup provides a clean restore base; together, they allow recovery to any point within 15 minutes without the storage overhead of daily full backups. On the CISA exam, this question tests your understanding of balancing RTO and RPO with storage efficiency—a common trap is choosing daily full backups, which waste storage and fail to meet a tight RPO, or assuming log backups alone suffice without a full backup foundation. Remember the mnemonic: “Full for foundation, logs for loss”—the full backup anchors the restore, and frequent logs keep data loss under 15 minutes.
CISA Practice Question: Information Systems Operations and Business Resilience
This CISA practice question tests your understanding of information systems operations and business resilience. 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.
A large enterprise is implementing a backup strategy for a critical database that requires an RTO of 2 hours and an RPO of 15 minutes. The database is 2 TB in size. Which backup method would BEST meet these requirements while minimizing storage costs?
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
✓
Weekly full backups with transactional log backups every 15 minutes
Option B is correct because incremental backups after a full backup minimize data loss and allow frequent backups with low storage overhead, meeting the 15-minute RPO. Option A does not meet RPO; Option C uses too much storage; Option D is for file-level, not databases.
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.
✗
Daily full backups
Why it's wrong here
Full backups only provide a recovery point of up to 24 hours, exceeding the 15-minute RPO.
✗
Continuous data protection (CDP) replicating to a remote site
Why it's wrong here
CDP can meet RPO but typically requires more storage and replication bandwidth; it is often more expensive.
✓
Weekly full backups with transactional log backups every 15 minutes
Why this is correct
Log backups capture every transaction, achieving a 15-minute RPO, and storage cost is low compared to frequent full backups.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
A daily full backup and a differential backup every 4 hours
Why it's wrong here
Differential backups accumulate, and a 4-hour frequency does not achieve 15-minute RPO.
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 practitioner preparing for the CISA exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which CISA 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.
Information Systems Operations and Business Resilience — This question tests Information Systems Operations and Business Resilience — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Weekly full backups with transactional log backups every 15 minutes — Option B is correct because incremental backups after a full backup minimize data loss and allow frequent backups with low storage overhead, meeting the 15-minute RPO. Option A does not meet RPO; Option C uses too much storage; Option D is for file-level, not databases.
What should I do if I get this CISA question wrong?
Identify which CISA 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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company is designing its backup strategy for a critical database that must be available 24/7. The database experiences high transaction volumes. Which backup method minimizes data loss while allowing continuous operations?
easy
A.Offline full backup performed weekly
B.Differential backup performed daily
✓ C.Online backup with transaction log backups
D.Full backup performed during low-usage periods
Why C: Online backup with transaction log backups (Option C) is correct because it allows the database to remain fully operational (24/7 availability) while capturing every committed transaction in the transaction log. In the event of a failure, you can restore the most recent full backup and then apply all subsequent transaction log backups to recover to the exact point of failure, minimizing data loss to only uncommitted transactions.
Variation 2. An organization is implementing a backup strategy for its critical database. The database is updated continuously during business hours, and the recovery point objective (RPO) is 15 minutes. Which backup method should be used to meet the RPO while minimizing backup storage and performance impact?
medium
A.Perform full backups every 24 hours
B.Implement synchronous replication to a standby server
✓ C.Perform incremental backups with transaction log backups every 15 minutes
D.Perform differential backups every 6 hours
Why C: Incremental backups with transaction log backups every 15 minutes meets the 15-minute RPO by capturing all changes since the last full or incremental backup, while transaction log backups record every individual database transaction. This method minimizes storage by only backing up changes and reduces performance impact compared to continuous replication, as log backups are lightweight and can be scheduled without constant I/O overhead.
Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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