PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Question
A project manager is reviewing the project's risk register and identifies several risks that could impact the project. According to PMBOK Guide, which THREE of the following are strategies for negative risks or threats? (Choose three.)
⚠ Common exam trap
PMI often tests the confusion between threat and opportunity strategies, so the trap here is that candidates mistakenly select Exploit or Enhance because they sound like active responses, but they are reserved for positive risks, not threats.
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
✓
Avoid
Avoid, Transfer, and Mitigate are the three primary strategies for dealing with negative risks or threats as defined in the PMBOK Guide. Avoid involves eliminating the threat entirely by changing the project plan, Transfer shifts the impact of the threat to a third party (e.g., insurance, fixed-price contracts), and Mitigate reduces the probability or impact of the threat to an acceptable threshold. These strategies are specifically designed to address risks with a negative impact on project objectives.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Exploit
Why it's wrong here
Exploit is a proactive risk response strategy applied exclusively to *opportunities*, aiming to ensure a positive impact is realized with certainty. This involves taking direct action to make the opportunity happen, such as assigning the best resources to achieve a cost saving or developing a new product feature. Since the context of the question implies dealing with a *threat* (based on the correct answers being threat responses), Exploit is an inappropriate strategy for managing negative risks.
- ✗
Enhance
Why it's wrong here
Enhance is a risk response strategy applied solely to *opportunities*, focusing on increasing the probability or positive impact of a favorable event. This might involve adding resources, adjusting project scope, or improving processes to maximize potential benefits. As the context of the correct answers points to managing *threats*, Enhance is an unsuitable response, as one would not seek to increase the probability or impact of a negative event.
- ✓
Avoid
Why this is correct
Avoid is a proactive risk response strategy that aims to eliminate the threat entirely or protect the project objectives from its impact. This can involve changing the project plan, scope, or even canceling the project if the threat is too significant to manage otherwise. For instance, if a specific technology poses an unacceptable high risk, avoiding it by choosing an alternative technology or process is an effective avoidance strategy.
- ✓
Transfer
Why this is correct
Transfer is a risk response strategy where the ownership and financial consequences of a threat are shifted to a third party. While the threat itself isn't eliminated, the responsibility for managing it and bearing its impact is transferred, often through insurance, warranties, or specific contractual agreements. This strategy is effective when the third party is better equipped to manage the risk or absorb its financial consequences.
- ✓
Mitigate
Why this is correct
Mitigate is a common risk response strategy focused on reducing either the probability of a threat occurring or its potential impact if it does occur, or both. This involves implementing specific actions to lessen the severity of the risk, such as conducting additional testing, using more reliable components, or increasing contingency reserves. The goal is to bring the risk exposure within acceptable thresholds without eliminating the risk entirely.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PMP practice question is part of Courseiva's free PMI 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 PMP exam.