- A
BCP deals with natural disasters, DRP deals with cyberattacks
Why wrong: Both cover various threats.
- B
BCP is for IT systems, DRP is for business processes
Why wrong: It's the opposite: BCP is for business processes, DRP for IT.
- C
BCP is a subset of DRP
Why wrong: DRP is often a subset of BCP.
- D
BCP ensures business functions continue, DRP restores IT operations
This is the correct distinction.
Question 805 of 1,000
CISSP Security Operations Practice Question
This CISSP practice question tests your understanding of security operations. Compare every option against the stated constraints before choosing — the best answer satisfies all requirements, not just the most obvious one. 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 of the following BEST describes the difference between a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) and a Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP)?
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 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
✓
BCP ensures business functions continue, DRP restores IT operations
D is correct because the Business Continuity Plan (BCP) focuses on maintaining critical business functions during and after a disruption, ensuring minimal impact on operations, while the Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) is a subset of BCP that specifically addresses the restoration of IT infrastructure, systems, and data after a disaster. The BCP encompasses broader organizational resilience, including manual workarounds and alternate sites, whereas the DRP targets technical recovery procedures such as system rebuilds, data restoration from backups, and failover to redundant systems.
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.
- ✗
BCP deals with natural disasters, DRP deals with cyberattacks
Why it's wrong here
Both cover various threats.
- ✗
BCP is for IT systems, DRP is for business processes
Why it's wrong here
It's the opposite: BCP is for business processes, DRP for IT.
- ✗
BCP is a subset of DRP
Why it's wrong here
DRP is often a subset of BCP.
- ✓
BCP ensures business functions continue, DRP restores IT operations
Why this is correct
This is the correct distinction.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
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 that candidates often confuse the scope of BCP and DRP, mistakenly thinking BCP is only for business processes and DRP only for IT, when in fact BCP is the overarching plan that includes DRP as a component for IT recovery.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the BCP often includes a Business Impact Analysis (BIA) to identify critical functions and their Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPOs), while the DRP implements technical procedures to meet those RTOs/RPOs, such as using rsync for data replication or orchestrating failover with tools like VMware Site Recovery Manager. In a real-world scenario, a BCP might dictate that customer service shifts to a call center in another region, while the DRP ensures the underlying database is restored from a backup stored in Amazon S3 Glacier with a specific retrieval time.
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 security analyst at a medium-sized enterprise encounters this scenario during an investigation or architecture review. The correct answer reflects best practice for the specific threat or control described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Security exam questions test whether you can match controls to threats in context — not just recall definitions.
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.
- →
Security Operations — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CISSP question test?
Security Operations — This question tests Security Operations — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: BCP ensures business functions continue, DRP restores IT operations — D is correct because the Business Continuity Plan (BCP) focuses on maintaining critical business functions during and after a disruption, ensuring minimal impact on operations, while the Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) is a subset of BCP that specifically addresses the restoration of IT infrastructure, systems, and data after a disaster. The BCP encompasses broader organizational resilience, including manual workarounds and alternate sites, whereas the DRP targets technical recovery procedures such as system rebuilds, data restoration from backups, and failover to redundant systems.
What should I do if I get this CISSP question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This CISSP practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 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 CISSP exam.
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