Purpose of a disaster recovery plan

Name:

Date:

Class:

Quick Questions

Shade in the A or B circle for each question.

1. When is a disaster recovery plan written?

A In advance, before a disruption happens

B After a disruption, once the damage is known

2. What is the main purpose of a disaster recovery plan?

A Protect people and restore data and systems after a disruption

B Stop every threat from ever reaching the organisation

3. How does a disaster recovery plan help an organisation's downtime?

A It removes all downtime so operations never stop

B It limits downtime by setting out clear recovery steps

4. Which feature of a disaster recovery plan makes sure staff know what they must do during a disruption?

A Assigned responsibilities for each person or team

B Leaving staff to decide what to do on the day

5. Which threat could a disaster recovery plan need to cover?

A Only accidental threats such as deleting a file by mistake

B A deliberate threat such as a ransomware attack

Match the Pairs

Draw a line connecting each item on the left to its match on the right.

Left column		Right column
1Disaster recovery plan (DRP)		AA DRP should cover deliberate threats (like malware) and events-based threats (like fire or flood), not just one type of failure.
2Recovery time target: restore the sales database within 4 hours		BScenarios: ransomware attack -> restore from backup \| flood or fire -> move to backup site
3A DRP assigns responsibilities so everyone knows their role during a disruption		CLimits downtime by setting a clear goal for how fast systems must be working again
4A DRP covers deliberate and events-based threats, such as ransomware attacks and floods		DIT Manager: restore servers \| Admin Officer: contact staff \| Principal: approve updates
5We will write the disaster recovery plan after a ransomware attack hits.		EA DRP must be made in advance. Writing it after the disruption means there is no plan to limit downtime or guide the response.
6The DRP only covers hardware failure, so it does not need to mention cyber attacks or natural disasters.		FA plan written in advance that sets out how people are protected and data and systems are restored after a disruption

Definitions

disaster recovery plan

Fill in the Blanks

Complete each line of code by filling in the missing parts.

A ______________________ is made in advance.

Purpose: limit ________ after a disruption

The plan assigns ________________ to staff.

Covers deliberate and ____________ threats

Protect ______, restore data and systems

Spot the Error

Shade in the letter of the line that contains an error.

Question 1

A PLAN drp_school

B purpose = increase downtime

C owner = IT manager

Question 2

A PLAN drp_shop

B threat = flood

C first = evacuate staff

D then = delete backups

Question 3

A PLAN drp_college

B owner = nobody

C backup_owner = deputy

Question 4

A PLAN drp_bank

B threat = ransomware

C action = ignore all backups

Question 5

A created = after disruption

B threat = power outage

C action = use generator

Answer Key

Purpose of a disaster recovery plan

Section A: Quick Questions

A — In advance, before a disruption happens

A — Protect people and restore data and systems after a disruption

B — It limits downtime by setting out clear recovery steps

A — Assigned responsibilities for each person or team

B — A deliberate threat such as a ransomware attack

Section B: Match the Pairs

Disaster recovery plan (DRP) → A plan written in advance that sets out how people are protected and data and systems are restored after a disruption

Recovery time target: restore the sales database within 4 hours → Limits downtime by setting a clear goal for how fast systems must be working again

A DRP assigns responsibilities so everyone knows their role during a disruption → IT Manager: restore servers | Admin Officer: contact staff | Principal: approve updates

A DRP covers deliberate and events-based threats, such as ransomware attacks and floods → Scenarios: ransomware attack -> restore from backup | flood or fire -> move to backup site

We will write the disaster recovery plan after a ransomware attack hits. → A DRP must be made in advance. Writing it after the disruption means there is no plan to limit downtime or guide the response.

The DRP only covers hardware failure, so it does not need to mention cyber attacks or natural disasters. → A DRP should cover deliberate threats (like malware) and events-based threats (like fire or flood), not just one type of failure.

Section C: Definitions

disaster recovery plan — A plan made in advance that sets out who does what to protect people and restore data and systems after a disruption, so downtime is limited.

Section D: Fill in the Blanks

A disaster recovery plan is made in advance.

Purpose: limit downtime after a disruption

The plan assigns responsibilities to staff.

Covers deliberate and events-based threats

Protect people, restore data and systems

Section E: Spot the Error

B — A disaster recovery plan exists to limit downtime after a disruption, not increase it. The line should be purpose = limit downtime.

D — Once people are safe, the plan restores data and systems from backups. Deleting backups would make recovery impossible. It should be then = restore from backup.

B — A disaster recovery plan assigns responsibilities so everyone knows who does what. Leaving the owner as nobody defeats this. It should name a role, such as owner = IT manager.

C — Ransomware is a deliberate threat, and the plan covers it by restoring data from backups. Ignoring backups does not recover anything. It should be action = restore from backup.

A — A disaster recovery plan is made in advance, before a disruption happens. Writing it afterwards is too late. It should be created = before disruption.