Which statement best distinguishes Accept and other risk response strategies?

• A. Accept means the risk is within acceptable limits and costs are known; other strategies may involve mitigation, transfer, or avoidance
• B. Accept means all risks must be eliminated
• C. Accept means the risk is ignored completely
• D. Accept means the risk is transferred to a third party

Answer: (A)

Deciding how to respond to risk depends on whether the residual risk fits within the organization’s tolerance and whether the cost to counter it is justified. Accepting a risk means you acknowledge it and choose not to implement controls because it lies within acceptable limits and the costs of mitigation or other actions aren’t warranted. In other words, you’re comfortable with the remaining risk and have determined the expense or effort to reduce it isn’t justified.

Other strategies aim to change the risk itself: mitigate to lessen either the probability or impact, transfer the risk to someone else (for example, through insurance or outsourcing), or avoid the risk entirely by changing the activity. The acceptance approach is distinct because it involves no active remediation; it relies on a defined tolerance and known costs rather than trying to reduce or move the risk. For that reason, the statement that acceptance means the risk is within acceptable limits and costs are known best captures this distinction.