CISSP Security and Risk Management Practice Question
Which TWO of the following are examples of risk response strategies?
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
Risk avoidance eliminates the risk by not performing the activity that gives rise to it. Risk acceptance acknowledges the risk and makes a conscious decision to accept its potential consequences without additional mitigation, often because the cost of mitigation exceeds the potential impact.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Risk acceptance
Why this is correct
Risk acceptance is a deliberate decision by an organization to acknowledge and bear the potential consequences of a specific risk, often when the cost or effort of implementing other response strategies outweighs the potential impact. This strategy is typically documented, and the organization may establish a contingency plan or simply monitor the risk without further action.
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Risk analysis
Why it's wrong here
Risk analysis is a critical component of the broader risk assessment process, focusing on evaluating the likelihood of a risk event occurring and the potential impact if it does. This analytical phase uses qualitative or quantitative methods to determine the magnitude of risk, providing the necessary information to inform subsequent decisions on appropriate risk response strategies, rather than being a response itself.
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Risk identification
Why it's wrong here
Risk identification is the foundational first step in the risk assessment process, where potential threats, vulnerabilities, and their associated risks to an organization's assets are discovered and documented. This crucial activity precedes any evaluation or decision-making regarding how to address the risks, thus classifying it as an assessment function rather than a direct risk response strategy.
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Risk avoidance
Why this is correct
Risk avoidance is a proactive risk response strategy that involves eliminating the activity, process, or condition that gives rise to a specific risk altogether. This might entail discontinuing a particular service, refraining from adopting a new technology, or choosing not to engage in a high-risk venture if the potential negative consequences are deemed unacceptable.
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Risk communication
Why it's wrong here
Risk communication is an ongoing, vital process throughout the entire risk management lifecycle, ensuring that all relevant stakeholders are informed about identified risks, assessment findings, and the chosen response strategies. While indispensable for effective governance and decision-making, it serves as a supporting function to facilitate understanding and collaboration, rather than being a strategic approach to directly manage or alter a risk's impact or likelihood.
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Incident Response and Business Continuity
Key term
Risk acceptance
Risk acceptance is a risk management strategy where an organization acknowledges a potential risk but decides to tolerate it without taking active measures to reduce or eliminate it.
Key term
Risk avoidance
Risk avoidance is a risk management strategy that involves eliminating any activity, process, or technology that introduces a specific risk, rather than trying to reduce or accept it.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.