Questions Flashcards
As defined in this course, risk is the probability or chance of loss.
False. Risk is the possibility, not the probability or chance, of loss.
Loss is the undesirable result of risk.
True
Loss exposures are much more common than actual losses.
True
The extra expense a client incurs by living in a hotel after a fire has damaged his home is an example of
Indirect loss
Because uncertainty is a state of mind, two clients facing the same risk situation can have varying degrees of uncertainty.
True
Hazards are causes of loss, such as death, fire, or legal liability.
False. Perils are causes of loss. Hazards are acts or conditions that increase the chance or amount of loss caused by a peril.
Moral hazards are evidenced by carelessness or indifference.
False. Attitudinal hazards are evidenced by carelessness or indifference. Moral hazards are evidenced by dishonest tendencies.
Hazards are important in underwriting and rating applicants for insurance.
True
A client can use the probability of a loss to measure the risk he or she faces.
False. An individual cannot effectively use the probability of a loss to measure the risk he or she faces-the individual either will or will not suffer a loss. Statistical probabilities have no relevance in this case. To use a probability to measure risk, a large number of similar exposures would be needed.
There are a variety of benefits as well as costs associated with insurance as a technique for handling risk.
True
Insurance is essentially a form of gambling risk because the policyowner pays a relatively small premium to protect against a relatively large loss.
False. The fact that risk is an existing condition is what removes insurance from the category of a gambling risk. Insurance does not create risk-gambling does.
To be insurable, a risk must substantially meet the requirements of:
importance, accidental nature, calculability, definiteness of loss, and no excessively catastrophic loss.
The only cost associated with pure risk is the actual loss that takes place.
False. In addition to the actual loss that takes place, the costs associated with pure risk include fear and worry, less-than-optimal use of resources, and the expenses of treating risks.
Adverse selection refers to some people’s attempt to take unfair advantage of insurance.
False. Adverse selection is the natural tendency for those who know they are highly vulnerable to loss from a specific risk to be most inclined to acquire and retain insurance to cover that loss. Adverse selection by applicants and policyowners is counterbalanced by the care insurers exercise in underwriting.
Employees covered under group insurance receive a certificate of insurance as evidence of their coverage.
True
Risk management is a systematic process for dealing with risks, usually pure risks.
True
A weakness of using the risk management process is that only insurance products are considered for treating risks.
False. The risk management process considers all the alternatives for treating risks.
While loss prevention involves reducing the probability of frequency of loss, loss reduction involves lessening its severity.
True
Deductibles are a form of partial risk retention that can often be used to handle high-frequency, low-severity losses efficiently.
True
Self-insurance is an especially appropriate technique for small businesses and families to use in dealing with risks.
False. Self-insurance is generally appropriate only for large businesses that can act like an insurance company for their own risks.
For an insurance business to operate in the long run, premiums must equal losses, expenses, and profits.
False. Premiums plus investment earnings plus other income must equal losses, expenses, and profits.
The law of large numbers states that as the number of independent events increases, there is a greater chance that the actual results will be close to the expected results.
True
The first step in the risk management process is risk measurement.
False.
1) Risk identification
2) Risk measurement
3) Choice and use of methods to treat each identified risk.
4) Administration
In risk management, each risk can be measured in terms of frequency, severity, and variation.
True