The correct answer is to define and communicate clear roles and responsibilities for incident response, and establish accountability. This is the priority because incident response governance hinges on a formal framework that assigns ownership for detection, containment, eradication, and recovery—without this, even a robust policy or tested backups fail when staff are unsure who decides to escalate or notify stakeholders. On the CISA exam, this scenario tests your understanding that governance gaps are structural, not technical; a common trap is choosing “implement automated detection tools” or “schedule tabletop exercises,” but these are downstream activities that only work after roles are defined and enforced. The board’s request to improve governance means addressing the root cause: unclear accountability, not the symptoms. Memory tip: think “RACI before DR”—define who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed before you run a drill or buy a tool.
CISA Governance and Management of IT Practice Question
This CISA practice question tests your understanding of governance and management of it. 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.
A medium-sized e-commerce company recently suffered a ransomware attack that encrypted critical databases. The IT team restored systems from backups, but the incident exposed a lack of clear roles and responsibilities for incident response. The board has asked the IT governance committee to review and improve the incident response governance. The committee notes that while there is an incident response policy, it is not regularly tested, and staff are unsure of their roles. The company also lacks a formal communication protocol for notifying stakeholders. What should the committee prioritize to strengthen governance over incident response?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Define and communicate clear roles and responsibilities for incident response, and establish accountability.
Option A is correct because a governance framework must include clear roles, responsibilities, and accountability, which is the root cause. Option B is wrong because technology alone does not fix governance gaps. Option C is wrong while testing is valuable, it should follow role definition. Option D is wrong because outsourcing does not address internal governance deficiencies.
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.
✗
Invest in advanced endpoint detection and response tools.
Why it's wrong here
Technology is only part of the solution; governance needs precede tools.
✗
Outsource incident response to a managed security service provider.
Why it's wrong here
Outsourcing does not substitute for internal governance.
✓
Define and communicate clear roles and responsibilities for incident response, and establish accountability.
Why this is correct
Clear governance structure is foundational.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Conduct a tabletop exercise to test the current plan.
Why it's wrong here
Testing is important but should be done after roles are defined.
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.
Governance and Management of IT — This question tests Governance and Management of IT — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Define and communicate clear roles and responsibilities for incident response, and establish accountability. — Option A is correct because a governance framework must include clear roles, responsibilities, and accountability, which is the root cause. Option B is wrong because technology alone does not fix governance gaps. Option C is wrong while testing is valuable, it should follow role definition. Option D is wrong because outsourcing does not address internal governance deficiencies.
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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This CISA practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISACA 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 CISA exam.
Question Discussion
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