CRISC Risk Response and Mitigation Practice Question
After implementing multiple controls, the residual risk for a new product launch is still slightly above the risk appetite. The risk manager decides to proceed with the launch and monitor the risks regularly. This is:
⚠ Common exam trap
In the CRISC exam, the nuance is that risk acceptance is not inaction but a deliberate, documented decision to tolerate residual risk above appetite with ongoing monitoring, which candidates mistakenly confuse with risk mitigation or avoidance.
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
✓
Risk Acceptance
The risk manager's decision to proceed with the launch despite residual risk exceeding the risk appetite, while committing to regular monitoring, is the definition of risk acceptance. In IT risk management, this acknowledges that the remaining risk is tolerable for business objectives, and the monitoring plan ensures any escalation is detected early. This is not a passive decision but an active, documented acceptance of the residual risk level.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Risk Transfer
Why it's wrong here
Transfer shifts financial impact to a third party through insurance or contractual indemnities; no such mechanism is described here. Transfer would be correct if the organisation purchased cyber insurance or outsourced the risk, whereas this scenario retains the exposure internally and simply watches it.
- ✗
Risk Avoidance
Why it's wrong here
Avoidance means eliminating the activity that generates the risk, such as cancelling or delaying the launch. Proceeding while monitoring accepts the residual exposure rather than removing its source, so avoidance would only be correct if the organisation decided the product launch should not occur at all.
- ✓
Risk Acceptance
Why this is correct
Proceeding with a launch where residual risk exceeds appetite, while monitoring regularly, is deliberate risk acceptance. The organisation acknowledges the exposure and chooses to retain it rather than mitigate, transfer or avoid it, which defines acceptance as the risk response.
- ✗
Risk Mitigation
Why it's wrong here
Mitigation means applying controls to reduce risk before acceptance; here the controls are already implemented and residual risk remains above appetite, so no further reduction occurs. Mitigation would be correct if additional safeguards were still being selected and deployed to lower the exposure to an acceptable level.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CRISC 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 CRISC exam.