- A
One (the full backup only)
Why wrong: The full backup alone is outdated; changes since Sunday would be lost.
- B
Five (the full backup and all differentials from Monday to Thursday)
Why wrong: Only the latest differential is needed; earlier differentials are superseded.
- C
Two (the full backup and the Thursday differential)
The full backup provides the baseline, and the Thursday differential contains all changes since Sunday.
- D
Six (all backups from Sunday to Thursday)
Why wrong: This would be needed for incremental backups, not differential.
Question 475 of 1,000
SSCP Security Operations and Administration Practice Question
This SSCP practice question tests your understanding of security operations and administration. 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.
A company's backup strategy uses a full backup on Sundays and differential backups on other days. On Thursday, the storage system fails. How many backups are required to restore the data?
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
✓
Two (the full backup and the Thursday differential)
A differential backup copies all data changed since the last full backup. Therefore, to restore data on Thursday, you need the last full backup (Sunday) and the most recent differential backup (Thursday), which contains all changes from Sunday through Thursday. This totals two backups.
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.
- ✗
One (the full backup only)
Why it's wrong here
The full backup alone is outdated; changes since Sunday would be lost.
- ✗
Five (the full backup and all differentials from Monday to Thursday)
Why it's wrong here
Only the latest differential is needed; earlier differentials are superseded.
- ✓
Two (the full backup and the Thursday differential)
Why this is correct
The full backup provides the baseline, and the Thursday differential contains all changes since Sunday.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Six (all backups from Sunday to Thursday)
Why it's wrong here
This would be needed for incremental backups, not differential.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is confusing differential backups with incremental backups, leading candidates to think they need all backups from Monday to Thursday (Option B) or all backups (Option D), when in fact only the full and the latest differential are required.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Differential backups use an archive bit or change-tracking mechanism to identify files modified since the last full backup. The restore process first applies the full backup, then applies the most recent differential backup, which contains all changes since that full backup. In contrast, incremental backups require all backups since the last full backup to be applied sequentially, making differentials faster to restore but larger over 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 SOC analyst notices unusual lateral movement in the network at 2 AM. The IR playbook dictates: identify and contain (isolate the affected machine), then eradicate (remove the malware), then recover (restore from backup), then document. Skipping containment before eradication risks the attacker regaining access. Questions like this test the sequence and rationale of incident response phases.
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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SSCP question test?
Security Operations and Administration — This question tests Security Operations and Administration — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Two (the full backup and the Thursday differential) — A differential backup copies all data changed since the last full backup. Therefore, to restore data on Thursday, you need the last full backup (Sunday) and the most recent differential backup (Thursday), which contains all changes from Sunday through Thursday. This totals two backups.
What should I do if I get this SSCP 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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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This SSCP 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 SSCP exam.
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