Final Exam

Question 1

The first stage of any software design process is to develop an understanding of the relationships between the software that is being designed and its external environment. This is essential for deciding how to provide the required system functionality and how to structure the system to communicate with its environment. Which of the following diagrams will allow us to discover this?

Answer 1

context diagram

Question 2

which of the following describes a “design and implementation” phase

Answer 2

It is the stage in the software engineering process at which an executable software system is developed.

Question 3

When you use UML to develop a design, you should develop two types of design models: Structural and dynamic. Which of the following describes the structural model?

Answer 3

Describe the static view of the system in terms of object classes and relationships.

Question 4

When you test software you are trying to do two things. What are those two things?

Answer 4

-To discover situations in which the behavior of the software is incorrect
-To demonstrate that the software meets its requirements

Question 5

Which one of the following testing checks that changes have not “broken” previously working code

Answer 5

Regression testing

Question 6

Sometimes software needs to go through urgent changes. What may cause these urgent changes?

Answer 6

All 3

Question 7

Companies have to decide if they want to keep maintaining a legacy system or scrap it. In which of the following situations will a company choose to maintain a legacy system instead of scrapping it?

Answer 7

The system is fairly stable, and the system users make relatively few change requests

Question 8

What is the purpose of the design and implementation phase?

Answer 8

The phase focuses on creating and realizing the software design, ensuring all components meet user requirements and integrate seamlessly

Question 9

What do context diagrams represent?

Answer 9

Context diagrams show the system’s boundaries and its relationships with external entities like users, devices, and other systems.

Question 10

What is the relationship between a use-case and a context diagram?

Answer 10

Use-cases describe interactions between actors and the system, while context diagrams outline the system’s overall scope and environment.

Question 11

How are UML diagrams and architectural models applied in design and implementation?

Answer 11

ML diagrams (e.g., class and sequence diagrams) are used to model static structures and dynamic behaviors, while architectural models define the system’s high-level structure and components.

Question 12

What is the difference between structural and dynamic models?

Answer 12

Structural models focus on the static components and their relationships, while dynamic models show how these components interact and change over time.

Question 13

How does the observer pattern work?

Answer 13

It establishes a one-to-many dependency where observers are notified and updated automatically whenever the subject’s state changes.

Question 14

What are the advantages and disadvantages of software reuse?

Answer 14

Advantages: Reduced development time, cost, and risks; improved reliability.
Disadvantages: High cost of integration, potential for incompatibility, and reliance on external code.

Question 15

What are the descriptions of software reuse, configuration management, and host-target development?

Answer 15

Software reuse: Using existing code or components to develop new systems.
Configuration management: Managing changes to software artifacts systematically.
Host-target development: Developing software on one platform (host) to run on another (target).

Question 16

What is version management?

Answer 16

Version management tracks different versions of software components to ensure developers access the correct ones and prevent overwriting changes.

Question 17

What is system integration?

Answer 17

Combining individual software components into a unified system, ensuring they work together as intended.

Question 18

How does open-source development work?

Answer 18

Open-source development makes the source code public, allowing anyone to contribute to its improvement or customization under specific licensing terms.

Question 19

What are the activities performed during the testing phase?

Answer 19

Testing activities include unit testing, component testing, system testing, release testing, and user testing to validate functionality and identify defects.

Question 20

What is the difference between validation testing and defect testing?

Answer 20

Validation testing ensures the system meets requirements with expected inputs.
Defect testing identifies errors using unexpected or edge-case inputs.

Question 21

What is the difference between software inspection and software testing?

Answer 21

Inspection: Static review of system artifacts (e.g., code, design) to find defects.
Testing: Dynamic execution of the software to uncover bugs.

Question 22

What are the three stages of development testing?

Answer 22

Unit testing.
Component testing.
System testing.

Question 23

What are the strategies for testing?

Answer 23

Partition testing: Divides inputs into equivalence classes for representative testing.
Guideline-based testing: Uses known defect-prone scenarios for test cases.

Question 24

What is test-driven development (TDD), and what are its benefits?

Answer 24

TDD is writing tests before code. Benefits include increased code coverage, better debugging, regression testing, and system documentation.

Question 25

What are the types of user testing?

Answer 25

Alpha testing: Early user testing with development team involvement.
Beta testing: Wider user group testing before release.
Acceptance testing: Customer evaluation to approve deployment.

Question 26

Why does software change?

Answer 26

Software changes due to new requirements, environment changes, bug fixes, and performance or reliability improvements.

Question 27

What are development and evolution in software engineering?

Answer 27

Development is creating new software, while evolution involves updating existing software to adapt to changes.

Question 28

What are urgent change requests, and how are they handled?

Answer 28

Urgent changes address critical issues like system faults or regulatory updates, often bypassing formal processes for quick fixes.

Question 29

What are the challenges of software evolution?

Answer 29

Challenges include high costs, integration issues, degraded structures, and maintaining legacy systems.

Question 30

What is a legacy system, and what are its components?

Answer 30

Legacy systems are outdated but critical systems with components like hardware, application software, data, processes, and policies.

Question 31

Why are legacy systems replaced, and what challenges are faced?

Answer 31

Replacement occurs due to inefficiency, high maintenance costs, or obsolescence. Challenges include risk, tight integration, and undocumented rules.

Question 32

What are the four basic issues discussed with stakeholders about legacy systems?

Answer 32

System usage, process efficiency, system dependability, and output relevance.

Question 33

What happens during the maintenance stage?

Answer 33

Activities include fixing bugs, adapting to new environments, and adding/modifying functionality.

Question 34

How can maintenance costs be reduced?

Answer 34

By improving software structure, refactoring, automating testing, and reducing complexity.

Question 35

What is the difference between refactoring and reengineering?

Answer 35

Refactoring: Incremental improvement of code.
Reengineering: Large-scale redesign and documentation of a system.

Question 36

What do “bad smells” in program code mean?

Answer 36

Indicators of poor design, such as duplicate code, long methods, or unnecessary complexity, signaling the need for refactoring.

Question 37

What are the types of software maintenance?

Answer 37

Fault repairs.
Environmental adaptation.
Adding/modifying functionality.

Question 38

What are the local and global impacts of computing solutions?

Answer 38

Local impacts: Individual or organizational efficiency, productivity, and communication.
Global impacts: Societal changes, ethical considerations, and environmental effects.