- A
Accept the control as effective since it is within the threshold
Why wrong: The threshold may not be appropriate for high-severity incidents; acceptance could overlook significant risk.
- B
Escalate the findings to senior management with a recommendation to enhance the control
Escalation ensures that the risk associated with missed high-severity incidents is communicated to decision-makers.
- C
Implement a compensating control to cover high-severity incidents
Why wrong: This may be a solution, but the first step should be to escalate the issue for proper analysis.
- D
Recommend revising the KCI threshold to include severity weighting
Why wrong: While revising the threshold might be a long-term action, immediate escalation is needed.
Question 936 of 1,000
CRISC Risk Response and Reporting Practice Question
This CRISC practice question tests your understanding of risk response and reporting. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.
During a quarterly control effectiveness test, internal audit finds that a detective control missed 15% of security incidents. The control owner claims this is within the acceptable error rate of 20%. However, the risk practitioner notes that the missed incidents were high-severity. What should the risk practitioner do?
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
✓
Escalate the findings to senior management with a recommendation to enhance the control
The risk practitioner should escalate the findings to senior management with a recommendation to enhance the control because the detective control's failure to detect 15% of incidents, while within the 20% acceptable error rate, specifically missed high-severity incidents. High-severity incidents pose a disproportionate risk to the organization, and a control that fails to detect them is not effective in mitigating critical risks, regardless of meeting a generic threshold. Escalation ensures that management is aware of the residual risk and can authorize appropriate enhancements, such as tuning the control's detection logic or implementing additional monitoring for high-severity events.
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.
- ✗
Accept the control as effective since it is within the threshold
Why it's wrong here
The threshold may not be appropriate for high-severity incidents; acceptance could overlook significant risk.
- ✓
Escalate the findings to senior management with a recommendation to enhance the control
Why this is correct
Escalation ensures that the risk associated with missed high-severity incidents is communicated to decision-makers.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Implement a compensating control to cover high-severity incidents
Why it's wrong here
This may be a solution, but the first step should be to escalate the issue for proper analysis.
- ✗
Recommend revising the KCI threshold to include severity weighting
Why it's wrong here
While revising the threshold might be a long-term action, immediate escalation is needed.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the misconception that meeting a quantitative KCI threshold automatically means a control is effective, without considering the qualitative severity of the incidents missed.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In practice, detective controls like SIEM rules or IDS signatures often have a baseline false negative rate (e.g., 20% for low-severity events), but high-severity incidents typically require near-zero false negatives due to their potential impact. The risk practitioner should analyze the specific detection logic—for example, a rule that misses 15% of high-severity SQL injection attempts might need tuning of its anomaly detection threshold or inclusion of additional log sources. Escalation ensures that the control's effectiveness is evaluated against the organization's risk appetite, which often mandates stricter performance for high-severity events, and that management can allocate resources for a root-cause analysis and control enhancement.
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.
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
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 CRISC 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 exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Risk Response and Reporting — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Risk Response and Reporting practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All CRISC questions
1,000 questions across all exam domains
- →
Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control CRISC study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
CRISC practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related CRISC practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
IT Risk Identification practice questions
Practise CRISC questions linked to IT Risk Identification.
IT Risk Assessment practice questions
Practise CRISC questions linked to IT Risk Assessment.
Risk Response and Reporting practice questions
Practise CRISC questions linked to Risk Response and Reporting.
Information Technology and Security practice questions
Practise CRISC questions linked to Information Technology and Security.
Risk Response and Mitigation practice questions
Practise CRISC questions linked to Risk Response and Mitigation.
Risk and Control Monitoring and Reporting practice questions
Practise CRISC questions linked to Risk and Control Monitoring and Reporting.
CRISC fundamentals practice questions
Practise CRISC questions linked to CRISC fundamentals.
CRISC scenario practice questions
Practise CRISC questions linked to CRISC scenario.
CRISC troubleshooting practice questions
Practise CRISC questions linked to CRISC troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Start a free CRISC practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CRISC question test?
Risk Response and Reporting — This question tests Risk Response and Reporting — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Escalate the findings to senior management with a recommendation to enhance the control — The risk practitioner should escalate the findings to senior management with a recommendation to enhance the control because the detective control's failure to detect 15% of incidents, while within the 20% acceptable error rate, specifically missed high-severity incidents. High-severity incidents pose a disproportionate risk to the organization, and a control that fails to detect them is not effective in mitigating critical risks, regardless of meeting a generic threshold. Escalation ensures that management is aware of the residual risk and can authorize appropriate enhancements, such as tuning the control's detection logic or implementing additional monitoring for high-severity events.
What should I do if I get this CRISC question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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 →
Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.