This CRISC practice question tests your understanding of it risk assessment. 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.
Which THREE of the following are effective risk treatment strategies?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Avoid the risk by discontinuing the activity
Option B is correct because avoiding risk by discontinuing the activity is a recognized risk treatment strategy under the ISACA Risk IT framework. By ceasing the activity that introduces the risk, the organization eliminates the possibility of the risk event occurring, which is a valid and often necessary response when the risk exceeds the organization's risk appetite and cannot be cost-effectively mitigated or transferred.
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 risk without any analysis
Why it's wrong here
Acceptance must be based on risk assessment and within appetite.
✓
Avoid the risk by discontinuing the activity
Why this is correct
Avoidance eliminates risk entirely.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Ignore the risk if it has not materialized yet
Why it's wrong here
Ignoring is not a valid treatment; risks should be managed.
✓
Implement compensating controls to reduce risk
Why this is correct
Controls mitigate risk to an acceptable level.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Transfer the risk through outsourcing
Why this is correct
Outsourcing can transfer risk to a vendor if properly managed.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is confusing 'ignoring' or 'uninformed acceptance' with the legitimate risk acceptance strategy, which requires documented analysis and approval, and assuming that risks that have not yet materialized can be safely disregarded.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Risk treatment strategies are defined in the ISACA Risk IT framework and include avoidance, reduction/mitigation, transfer/sharing, and acceptance. Avoidance (option B) involves eliminating the risk by discontinuing the activity, which is appropriate when the risk is too high to accept or mitigate cost-effectively. Transfer (option E) shifts the financial impact to a third party, such as through cyber insurance or outsourcing, but does not eliminate the underlying risk. Mitigation (option D) uses compensating controls, such as encryption, access controls, or redundancy, to reduce the likelihood or impact to an acceptable level.
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 small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
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.
IT Risk Assessment — This question tests IT Risk Assessment — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Avoid the risk by discontinuing the activity — Option B is correct because avoiding risk by discontinuing the activity is a recognized risk treatment strategy under the ISACA Risk IT framework. By ceasing the activity that introduces the risk, the organization eliminates the possibility of the risk event occurring, which is a valid and often necessary response when the risk exceeds the organization's risk appetite and cannot be cost-effectively mitigated or transferred.
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.
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Question Discussion
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