Final answer:
Cumulative/serious risks accurately describe risks that accumulate over time, which is true in contexts like health and investment portfolios. Recognizing and mitigating these risks is crucial to prevent potential negative outcomes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Cumulative/serious risks are risks that do indeed add up over time. Therefore, the correct answer to the student's question is a. True.
This concept applies to various contexts, including health, where the risk of certain conditions can increase with cumulative exposure to specific factors.
It also relates to investments, where high-risk levels can prove detrimental over time. As an example, in medicine, there are increased risks of translocation mutations with age, which can compound the overall risk to an individual's health.
Similarly, if an investor ignores the cumulative risk of potential threats within their portfolio, the eventual impact can be devastating.
On the other hand, some risks, like those mitigated by insurance, may be low in probability but high in potential consequence, again showing the importance of recognizing and planning for cumulative risk.