Business Continuity Planning Reading Answers

Sep 26, 2025

Business Continuity Planning Reading Answers contains 7 questions and belongs to the assessment system of the IELTS General Reading test. Business Continuity Planning Reading Answers must be answered within 10 minutes. In this IELTS reading section, question types include: Write NO MORE THAN ONE WORD from the text for each answer.

Business Continuity Planning Reading Answers offers a comprehensive overview of A solid business continuity plan, which helps minimise financial losses during disruptions by analysing impacts, assembling trained teams, assessing risks, and creating recovery strategies to restore critical operations effectively. To practice similar reading tests, candidates can refer to the IELTS Reading Practice Test section.

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Topic:

When business is disrupted, it can cost money. Insurance does not cover all costs and cannot replace customers that go to the competition. A business continuity plan is therefore essential. Firstly, a business should conduct a business impact analysis (BIA) to identify time-sensitive or critical business functions and processes and the resources that support them.

A BIA predicts the consequences of disruption to a business function and process and gathers information needed to proceed. There are many possible scenarios that should be considered. The BIA also considers the timeline when a business function or process is disrupted, which can have a significant bearing on the loss sustained. A short disruption of production may be overcome by shipping finished goods from a warehouse, but disruption of a product in high demand could have a significant impact.

One way to help conduct a BIA is to involve a BIA questionnaire, which can be used to survey managers and others within the business. The survey should include those with detailed knowledge of how the business manufactures its products or provides its services. Ask them to pinpoint the possible impacts if the business function or process that they are responsible for is interrupted. The BIA should also identify the critical business processes and resources needed for the business to continue to function at different levels.

The next stage is for a business continuity team to be assembled. This needs to involve key players from all parts of the business process and will often involve those who have taken part in the BIA questionnaire. Training is essential to ensure that everyone knows what to do when there is an emergency or disruption of business operations. Team members should receive training to become familiar with safety, building security, information security and other loss prevention programs. Members of emergency response, business continuity and crisis communications teams should also be trained, so that they are familiar with their roles and responsibilities as defined within the plans. Team leaders should receive a higher level of training, including incident command system training, so they can lead their teams. Review applicable regulations to determine training requirements. Records documenting the scope of training, participants, instructor and duration should be maintained.

When the business continuity team is assembled, a risk assessment should be completed. This identifies potential hazards, and analyses what could happen. There are numerous hazards to consider, and for each hazard there are many possible scenarios that could unfold depending on timing, magnitude and location. While the business continuity team conducts the risk assessment, they should look for vulnerabilities that would make a resource more susceptible to damage. These can include deficiencies in building construction, process or systems, or other factors that could contribute to the severity of damage when an incident occurs.

The business continuity team’s next job is to design recovery strategies and procedures. These alternative means to restore business operations to a target point following a disruption and problems must be considered against time objectives. The business continuity team should have business recovery strategies that consider in-depth knowledge of business functions and processes, so that the team will be in the best position to recover technology. Plans also should include involvement with third parties, people, facilities, equipment, materials and information technology. Plans also should include arrangements with other parties, entering into partnership or reciprocal agreements or contracting with other companies. An analysis of the resources required to execute the plans should be conducted to recognise gaps.

Questions 21 - 27

Write NO MORE THAN ONE WORD from the text for each answer.

BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLANNING

1. Perform A Business Impact Analysis (BIA)

- This is used to identify important business factors and the (21)................

Answer: resources

Supporting statement: "…identify time-sensitive or critical business functions and processes and the resources that support them."

Keywords: identify, business functions, resources, support

Keyword Location: Paragraph 1, lines 2–3

Explanation: The passage clearly explains that BIAs identify business functions and the resources that maintain them. Since the question asks what is used to maintain business functions, the correct one-word answer is "resources."

used to maintain them.

- BIA's can forecast problems and develop solutions.

- An important factor to consider is the (22)...............

Answer: timeline

Supporting statement: "…The BIA also considers the timeline when a business function or process is disrupted, which can have a significant bearing on the loss sustained."

Keywords: BIA, considers, timeline, disruption

Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, lines 3–4

Explanation: The passage stresses that the timeline of a disruption is a critical factor influencing losses. Hence, the one-word answer is "timeline."

of a business problem, as this will influence many other factors.

2. Make Use Of A BIA Questionnaire

- The BIA questionnaire can be a very useful tool as it surveys key workers.

- Workers surveyed should identify potential (23)..................

Answer: impacts

Supporting statement: "…Ask them to pinpoint the possible impacts if the business function or process…is interrupted."

Keywords: pinpoint, possible impacts, interrupted

Keyword Location: Paragraph 3, lines 4–5

Explanation: The BIA questionnaire asks workers to identify potential impacts. Therefore, the correct answer is "impacts."

of various problems and also essential business processes and resources.

3. Assemble A Business Continuity Team

• The business continuity team needs to include workers from a broad spectrum of the business' process - often those who did the BIA questionnaire.

- Training in various fields is vital for the team.

- Team leaders should have more complex training.

- (24)......................

Answer: records

Supporting statement: "Records documenting the scope of training, participants, instructor and duration should be maintained."

Keywords: records, training, maintained, scope

Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, lines 9–10

Explanation: The text emphasizes that records of training should be kept, making "records" the correct one-word answer.

should be kept.

4. Do A Risk Assessment

- The risk assessment identifies potential threats, including (25).........................

Answer: vulnerabilities

Supporting statement: "…they should look for vulnerabilities that would make a resource more susceptible to damage."

Keywords: vulnerabilities, resource, susceptible, damage

Keyword Location: Paragraph 5, lines 4–5

Explanation: The risk assessment includes identifying vulnerabilities, which are weaknesses that increase risk. Thus, "vulnerabilities" is the correct answer.

that make a business asset more liable to be affected by a problem.

5. Prepare Recovery Strategies

- Recovery strategies will seek to re-establish a (26).....................

Answer: target

Supporting statement: "…alternative means to restore business operations to a target point following a disruption…"

Keywords: restore, operations, target point, disruption

Keyword Location: Paragraph 6, lines 2–3

Explanation: Recovery strategies are aimed at achieving a target operational level after disruption. Therefore, "target" is the correct one-word answer.

level, which is measured by recovery time objectives.

- The business continuity team should include people with all the right know-how.

- Recovery strategies include many variables and research should also be done to identify (27).............

Answer: gaps

Supporting statement: "…An analysis of the resources required…should be conducted to recognise gaps."

Keywords: analysis, resources, recognise, gaps

Keyword Location: Paragraph 6, lines 9–10

Explanation: The passage highlights that resource analysis helps identify gaps. Hence, the correct answer is "gaps."

in required resources.

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