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CSC-210 practice questions

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Question 1Software Development Life Cycle and Methodologies

In a Scrum team, which role is solely accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Developers?

  1. The Product Owner Correct answer.
  2. The Lead Developer
  3. The Scrum Master
  4. The Quality Assurance Manager

Explanation

Scrum assigns product value accountability to the Product Owner, who manages and orders the Product Backlog to reflect stakeholder priorities. The Scrum Master serves the process, and the Developers self-organize the technical work; neither owns value maximization.

Question 2Software Development Life Cycle and Methodologies

In the Waterfall model, which phase immediately follows the requirements specification phase in the standard sequential order?

  1. Deployment
  2. Testing
  3. Maintenance
  4. Design Correct answer.

Explanation

Waterfall proceeds sequentially through requirements, design, implementation, testing, deployment, and maintenance. Design is the phase that directly consumes the approved requirements specification before any coding begins.

Question 3Software Development Life Cycle and Methodologies

A team runs two-week iterations and holds a short daily meeting where members synchronize work and surface impediments. Which Scrum event is this?

  1. The Sprint Retrospective
  2. The Backlog Refinement
  3. The Sprint Review
  4. The Daily Scrum Correct answer.

Explanation

The Daily Scrum is a timeboxed daily event where Developers inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt their plan. It is distinct from the end-of-sprint review and retrospective events.

Question 4Software Development Life Cycle and Methodologies

Which artifact in Scrum is an ordered list of everything that might be needed to improve the product, and is the single source of work for the team?

  1. The Definition of Done
  2. The Increment
  3. The Sprint Burndown Chart
  4. The Product Backlog Correct answer.

Explanation

The Product Backlog is the emergent, ordered list of what is needed to improve the product and is the sole source of work undertaken by the team. Other artifacts describe progress or completion criteria rather than the work list itself.

Question 5Software Development Life Cycle and Methodologies

Which principle from the Agile Manifesto values working software over comprehensive documentation?

  1. Simplicity is essential
  2. Business people and developers must work together daily
  3. Working software is the primary measure of progress Correct answer.
  4. Welcome changing requirements

Explanation

The Agile principles state that working software is the primary measure of progress, which operationalizes the value of working software over comprehensive documentation. The other options are separate Agile principles about simplicity, change, and collaboration.

Question 6Software Development Life Cycle and Methodologies

In a Kanban system, what does a Work-In-Progress (WIP) limit primarily accomplish?

  1. It defines the minimum number of team members required per stage
  2. It sets the maximum number of defects permitted before a release
  3. It constrains the number of items allowed in a workflow stage to expose bottlenecks and improve flow Correct answer.
  4. It caps the total number of backlog items the team may create

Explanation

A WIP limit restricts how many items can occupy a workflow state at once, which surfaces bottlenecks and encourages finishing work before starting more. This improves flow and reduces context switching.

Question 7Software Development Life Cycle and Methodologies

Which phase of the SDLC is concerned with determining whether the system meets the specified requirements after it has been built?

  1. Requirements analysis
  2. Testing Correct answer.
  3. Planning
  4. Design

Explanation

Testing verifies and validates that the built system conforms to the specified requirements and behaves as intended. Requirements analysis and design precede construction, and planning establishes scope and schedule.

Question 8Software Development Life Cycle and Methodologies

A team practicing Extreme Programming pairs programmers at one workstation and rotates partners frequently. Which XP practice does this describe?

  1. Collective code ownership
  2. Test-driven development
  3. Continuous integration
  4. Pair programming Correct answer.

Explanation

Pair programming is the XP practice where two developers work together at one machine, with one driving and the other reviewing, and partners rotate to spread knowledge. The other practices address integration, ownership, or test-first coding.

Question 9Software Development Life Cycle and Methodologies

A project manager estimates that a module will take 8 days in the best case, 12 days most likely, and 22 days in the worst case. Using the PERT three-point formula, what is the expected duration?

  1. 12 days
  2. 14 days
  3. 13 days Correct answer.
  4. 15 days

Explanation

The PERT expected value is (O + 4M + P) / 6, so (8 + 4×12 + 22) / 6 = (8 + 48 + 22) / 6 = 78 / 6 = 13 days. This weighting emphasizes the most likely estimate while accounting for optimistic and pessimistic extremes.

Question 10Software Development Life Cycle and Methodologies

During a Sprint, the Product Owner asks the team to add an urgent new feature that is not in the Sprint Backlog. According to Scrum, what is the appropriate response?

  1. The Developers decide unilaterally without involving the Product Owner
  2. The Scrum Master must reject any change until the next Sprint
  3. The team must immediately add the feature and drop nothing
  4. The team negotiates with the Product Owner and may adjust scope while protecting the Sprint Goal Correct answer.

Explanation

Scope may be clarified and renegotiated with the Product Owner as more is learned, provided the Sprint Goal is not endangered. Scrum does not freeze scope absolutely, nor does it let the Product Owner unilaterally force additions that break the Sprint Goal.

Question 11Software Development Life Cycle and Methodologies

Which development approach is iterative and incremental, delivers working software frequently, and embraces changing requirements even late in development?

  1. Agile Correct answer.
  2. Waterfall
  3. Big Design Up Front
  4. The V-Model

Explanation

Agile methods deliver in short increments and explicitly welcome changing requirements to harness change for the customer's competitive advantage. Waterfall, the V-Model, and Big Design Up Front all front-load design and resist late change.

Question 12Software Development Life Cycle and Methodologies

A team's Sprint Retrospective keeps producing the same action items with no follow-through. Which facilitation change best addresses this?

  1. Assign each action item an owner and review prior actions at the start of the next retrospective Correct answer.
  2. Limit discussion to positive topics only
  3. Replace the retrospective with a status meeting
  4. Extend the retrospective to a full day

Explanation

Retrospectives yield improvement only when actions are owned and tracked; reviewing prior actions at the next event creates accountability. Longer meetings or status meetings do not fix the lack of follow-through.

Question 13Software Development Life Cycle and Methodologies

In the V-Model, which testing level corresponds to and validates the detailed design phase?

  1. Acceptance testing
  2. Integration testing
  3. System testing
  4. Unit testing Correct answer.

Explanation

The V-Model maps each development phase to a verification level; the detailed design corresponds to unit testing, which verifies the smallest components. Higher-level tests map to higher-level design phases.

Question 14Software Development Life Cycle and Methodologies

A team adopting Kanban wants to measure lead time. Which definition is correct?

  1. The time a work item spends waiting in the backlog before being started
  2. The total effort hours spent coding a work item
  3. The number of items completed per iteration
  4. The elapsed time from when a work item enters the workflow to when it is delivered Correct answer.

Explanation

Lead time measures the total elapsed time from a work item entering the system to its delivery to the customer. Cycle time is a related but narrower measure, and effort hours or throughput measure different things.

Question 15Software Development Life Cycle and Methodologies

In test-driven development, what is the correct order of activities in the red-green-refactor cycle?

  1. Write a failing test, make it pass with the simplest code, then refactor while keeping tests green Correct answer.
  2. Write production code, then write tests to match it, then refactor
  3. Refactor existing code, then write tests, then write new code
  4. Write all tests for the release, then implement all features

Explanation

TDD starts with a failing test (red), then minimal code to pass it (green), then refactoring with tests as a safety net. Writing code before tests or batching all tests upfront contradicts the discipline.

Question 16Software Development Life Cycle and Methodologies

A Scrum team's Definition of Done includes automated tests, code review, and documentation. What is the primary purpose of this artifact?

  1. To provide a shared, explicit standard that work must meet before it is considered complete Correct answer.
  2. To record the Product Owner's priorities for the next Sprint
  3. To list every task each developer must perform daily
  4. To schedule the team's meetings and ceremonies

Explanation

The Definition of Done is a formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets the quality measures required for the product. It creates shared understanding of completeness, not task lists, priorities, or schedules.

Question 17Software Development Life Cycle and Methodologies

Which scaling framework organizes work into a Program Increment and uses PI Planning to align multiple Agile teams?

  1. XP
  2. Scrum
  3. Kanban
  4. SAFe Correct answer.

Explanation

SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) aligns multiple teams around a Program Increment and uses PI Planning as a central synchronization event. Scrum, Kanban, and XP are primarily single-team methods rather than scaling frameworks.

Question 18Software Development Life Cycle and Methodologies

A team wants to reduce risk by building a throwaway prototype to clarify unclear user requirements. Which lifecycle approach best supports this goal?

  1. A strict Waterfall approach that freezes requirements first
  2. A maintenance-only approach
  3. An iterative or spiral approach that builds prototypes to explore requirements Correct answer.
  4. A big-bang deployment approach

Explanation

Iterative and spiral models build prototypes early to explore and validate uncertain requirements, reducing risk before full investment. Waterfall requires requirements to be frozen, and big-bang or maintenance approaches do not target requirement discovery.

Question 19Software Development Life Cycle and Methodologies

Which statement correctly distinguishes verification from validation in software testing?

  1. Verification is performed only by users; validation only by developers
  2. Verification checks that the product was built correctly against specifications; validation checks that the right product was built for user needs Correct answer.
  3. Verification checks user needs; validation checks code style
  4. Verification and validation are synonyms with no practical distinction

Explanation

Verification asks whether we built the product right, confirming conformance to specifications, while validation asks whether we built the right product, confirming it meets user needs. They are complementary and not interchangeable.

Question 20Software Development Life Cycle and Methodologies

In Scrum, which event is timeboxed to at most four hours for a one-month Sprint and focuses on inspecting the Increment and adapting the Product Backlog?

  1. Backlog Refinement
  2. The Sprint Review Correct answer.
  3. The Sprint Retrospective
  4. The Daily Scrum

Explanation

The Sprint Review is timeboxed to four hours for a one-month Sprint and inspects the Increment with stakeholders to adapt the Product Backlog. The Retrospective focuses on process, and the Daily Scrum is a short daily event.

Question 21Software Development Life Cycle and Methodologies

A team estimates stories using relative sizing with a modified Fibonacci sequence (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13). Why is relative sizing preferred over absolute hour estimates in this context?

  1. Relative estimates are faster to produce and more reliable across varying skill levels and unknowns Correct answer.
  2. Relative estimates remove the need for a Definition of Done
  3. Relative estimates are legally required for Agile contracts
  4. Relative estimates eliminate all estimation error

Explanation

Relative sizing compares stories to each other, which is quicker and more stable than predicting exact hours, especially when unknowns and skill differences exist. It reduces precision theater but does not eliminate error or replace quality standards.

Question 22Software Development Life Cycle and Methodologies

A team's cumulative flow diagram shows the 'in progress' band widening steadily over several weeks while the 'done' band stays flat. What does this most likely indicate?

  1. The team has too few items in progress
  2. The team is delivering faster than it starts work
  3. The backlog is shrinking rapidly
  4. Work is accumulating in progress faster than it is being finished, suggesting a bottleneck Correct answer.

Explanation

A widening in-progress band with a flat done band means arrivals into progress exceed completions, pointing to a bottleneck or insufficient WIP limits. A healthy flow shows bands of roughly constant width.

Question 23Software Development Life Cycle and Methodologies

A regulated project requires formal phase-gate approvals, traceable requirements, and independent audits, yet stakeholders also want early feedback. Which approach is most defensible?

  1. A pure Waterfall model with no early feedback loops
  2. A hybrid model that keeps formal gates and traceability while iterating delivery within phases Correct answer.
  3. An ad hoc model with no defined phases
  4. A pure Scrum model that removes all documentation and gates

Explanation

A hybrid approach preserves mandatory governance and traceability while adding iterative delivery and feedback inside phases. Pure Scrum or pure Waterfall each sacrifice one of the stated needs, and an ad hoc model fails the regulatory requirements.

Question 24Software Development Life Cycle and Methodologies

A team notices its Sprint burndown line is flat for the first several days and then drops steeply at the end. Which interpretation and response is most appropriate?

  1. Work is not being decomposed and integrated incrementally; the team should slice work smaller and integrate daily Correct answer.
  2. The team is overestimating and should inflate story points
  3. The Sprint Goal should be removed to allow flexibility
  4. The burndown chart is broken and should be abandoned

Explanation

A late, steep drop signals that work is finished in a batch near the end rather than integrated continuously, which raises risk. Slicing work smaller and integrating daily smooths the burndown and surfaces problems earlier.

Question 25Requirements Engineering and Analysis

In requirements engineering, what does a stakeholder register primarily record?

  1. The set of test cases derived from each functional requirement
  2. The people and groups with an interest in the system, plus their roles, influence, and contact details Correct answer.
  3. The chronological list of every change request submitted after baselining
  4. The mapping of source code modules to the requirements they implement

Explanation

A stakeholder register is a living artifact that identifies everyone affected by or interested in the system and captures attributes such as role, interest, influence, and availability for elicitation. It is an input to planning elicitation and managing expectations, not a change log, traceability matrix, or test artifact.

Question 26Requirements Engineering and Analysis

Which technique is best suited to eliciting tacit knowledge from a domain expert who cannot easily articulate how they make routine decisions?

  1. Distributing a closed-ended survey with pre-defined answer choices
  2. Observation or apprenticeship, watching the expert work and asking questions in context Correct answer.
  3. Reading the existing system's user manual
  4. Reviewing the organization's marketing brochures

Explanation

Tacit knowledge surfaces through situated practice, so observing and working alongside an expert exposes decisions the expert makes without conscious articulation. Surveys and documents capture only explicit, already-recorded knowledge and cannot reveal unstated reasoning.

Question 27Requirements Engineering and Analysis

A requirement states: "The system shall be user-friendly." Which defect does this requirement most clearly exhibit?

  1. It is unverifiable because no measurable criterion defines user-friendliness Correct answer.
  2. It is ambiguous about which stakeholder requested it
  3. It violates the single-requirement rule by combining two needs
  4. It is infeasible because friendliness cannot be built into software

Explanation

A well-formed requirement must be verifiable, meaning a test can objectively confirm satisfaction. "User-friendly" gives no metric, so no one can prove compliance; it needs a measurable criterion such as task completion time or error rate.

Question 28Requirements Engineering and Analysis

What distinguishes a functional requirement from a non-functional requirement?

  1. A functional requirement is written by users, while a non-functional requirement is written by developers
  2. A functional requirement is mandatory, while a non-functional requirement is optional
  3. A functional requirement describes a behavior or service the system must provide, while a non-functional requirement constrains qualities or attributes of that behavior Correct answer.
  4. A functional requirement applies to hardware, while a non-functional requirement applies to software

Explanation

Functional requirements specify what the system does, such as computing a result or triggering an action. Non-functional requirements constrain how well it does so, covering performance, security, usability, and similar quality attributes. Authorship, obligation, and hardware scope are not the dividing line.

Question 29Requirements Engineering and Analysis

During elicitation for a hospital scheduling system, the chief surgeon and the nursing director give directly contradictory requirements about who may override appointments. What is the most appropriate next step?

  1. Record both as separate requirements and let developers decide later
  2. Discard both requirements and wait for the conflict to resolve itself
  3. Document both positions and facilitate negotiation to reach a resolved, agreed requirement Correct answer.
  4. Silently adopt the surgeon's version because surgeons rank higher in the hierarchy

Explanation

Conflicting stakeholder needs are normal and must be surfaced and negotiated rather than hidden. The analyst records each position, helps the parties weigh trade-offs, and captures the resolution so the requirement is agreed and traceable.

Question 30Requirements Engineering and Analysis

In a requirements traceability matrix, what does a link from a design element back to a source requirement demonstrate?

  1. Backward traceability, showing the design element exists to satisfy that requirement Correct answer.
  2. Stakeholder traceability, showing who approved the requirement
  3. Forward traceability, showing the requirement has been implemented and tested
  4. Bidirectional traceability, proving the requirement is complete

Explanation

Backward traceability follows links from later artifacts such as design or code to the earlier requirement that justified them. It supports impact analysis and helps detect scope creep, since any design element should trace to an approved source.

Question 31Requirements Engineering and Analysis

Which statement best characterizes the purpose of the requirements baseline?

  1. It is the final version of the requirements produced after the system is retired
  2. It is an agreed, formally reviewed set of requirements that changes only through a controlled change process Correct answer.
  3. It is a list of requirements that were rejected during elicitation
  4. It is a draft requirements list that developers may edit freely as they code

Explanation

Baselining freezes an agreed and reviewed requirements set so that subsequent modifications are visible and controlled. Any change after the baseline must go through formal change management with impact assessment and approval.

Question 32Requirements Engineering and Analysis

A team building an online auction site must guarantee that no bid is lost during peak load. Which requirement type and phrasing is most appropriate?

  1. A business requirement stating that the auction company shall increase revenue
  2. A non-functional performance and reliability requirement stating a measurable throughput and loss threshold Correct answer.
  3. A functional requirement stating that the system shall have a bidding page
  4. A constraint stating that the team shall use Java

Explanation

Guaranteeing no bid loss under peak load is a quality constraint on behavior, so it belongs among non-functional requirements. It must be measurable, for example specifying sustained bid throughput and a maximum tolerated loss rate under a defined load.

Question 33Requirements Engineering and Analysis

What is the main risk of relying solely on interviews for requirements elicitation?

  1. Interviews produce too much quantitative data to analyze
  2. Interviews always take longer than any other elicitation technique
  3. Interviews cannot be recorded or documented afterward
  4. Stakeholders may describe what they believe they need rather than what they actually do, leaving gaps the analyst never probes Correct answer.

Explanation

Interviews capture stated perceptions, which can diverge from real practice and omit details stakeholders consider obvious. Combining interviews with observation and prototyping helps reveal unstated and actual needs.

Question 34Requirements Engineering and Analysis

In use case modeling, what is the role of an actor?

  1. A specific named individual who must approve the requirements
  2. A data entity stored in the system's database
  3. A role played by a person or external system that interacts with the system to achieve a goal Correct answer.
  4. A step inside the use case's main success scenario

Explanation

An actor represents a role external to the system boundary that exchanges interactions with it, and one person may play several roles. Actors are not individual named approvers, scenario steps, or internal data entities.

Question 35Requirements Engineering and Analysis

A requirements engineer writes: "If the customer selects express shipping, the system shall display the guaranteed delivery date within 2 seconds." Which quality attribute is explicitly quantified here?

  1. Portability, through the shipping option
  2. Performance, through the two-second response limit Correct answer.
  3. Legal compliance, through the guarantee
  4. Maintainability, through the delivery date

Explanation

The statement attaches a measurable time bound to a system response, which is a performance requirement. Quantifying the limit makes the requirement verifiable through timing tests.

Question 36Requirements Engineering and Analysis

Which situation most strongly justifies choosing a prototyping approach during requirements elicitation?

  1. The project has no access to any end users
  2. Users cannot articulate their needs for a novel interface and would respond better to something they can see and try Correct answer.
  3. The regulatory environment forbids showing unfinished software
  4. The requirements are already fully specified and baselined

Explanation

Prototypes are most valuable when stakeholders struggle to express requirements abstractly, because a tangible mock-up triggers concrete feedback. They are less useful once requirements are settled or when users are unavailable.

Question 37Requirements Engineering and Analysis

What does requirements validation primarily seek to establish?

  1. That the project stays within its budget
  2. That the specified requirements actually define the system the stakeholders need Correct answer.
  3. That the code conforms to the design specification
  4. That each requirement has a unique identifier

Explanation

Validation answers the question of whether the right system is being built, confirming the requirements reflect genuine stakeholder needs. It is distinct from verification, which asks whether artifacts conform to the requirements.

Question 38Requirements Engineering and Analysis

A specification uses the term "account" in one section to mean a billing entity and in another to mean a login credential. Which requirement-quality problem does this create?

  1. Ambiguity caused by inconsistent terminology across the specification Correct answer.
  2. Incompleteness caused by missing acceptance criteria
  3. Non-traceability caused by absent identifiers
  4. Infeasibility caused by conflicting stakeholder goals

Explanation

Using one term for two concepts makes statements ambiguous, since readers cannot tell which meaning applies. A glossary and consistent domain vocabulary prevent this defect.

Question 39Requirements Engineering and Analysis

Which pair correctly matches a requirements document with its typical purpose?

  1. A software requirements specification lists test results, while a vision document lists defects
  2. A software requirements specification describes the code architecture, while a vision document describes deployment steps
  3. A software requirements specification documents requirements in detail for a defined system release, while a vision document communicates high-level goals and scope Correct answer.
  4. A software requirements specification records meeting minutes, while a vision document records budgets

Explanation

The software requirements specification is the detailed, structured statement of what a particular release must do, whereas a vision document frames the problem, stakeholders, and high-level goals. They serve different levels of abstraction and audiences.

Question 40Requirements Engineering and Analysis

A change request arrives after the requirements baseline is approved. According to sound change management, what should happen first?

  1. Reject the change automatically because the baseline is frozen
  2. Assess the impact of the proposed change on requirements, design, code, tests, cost, and schedule Correct answer.
  3. Delete the original requirement so the history stays clean
  4. Immediately implement the change to keep the requester satisfied

Explanation

Post-baseline changes must be evaluated for their ripple effects before a decision is made, using traceability links to identify affected artifacts. Only after impact assessment and approval should the change be implemented and the baseline updated.

Question 41Requirements Engineering and Analysis

What is the primary benefit of prioritizing requirements using a scheme such as MoSCoW?

  1. It helps allocate limited effort by distinguishing must-have from optional requirements for a delivery Correct answer.
  2. It removes the need for stakeholder agreement
  3. It guarantees that every requirement will be implemented
  4. It replaces the need for acceptance criteria

Explanation

Prioritization schemes rank requirements by importance so teams can focus effort and negotiate scope under constraints such as fixed time. They support trade-off decisions but do not guarantee delivery of everything or substitute for acceptance criteria.

Question 42Requirements Engineering and Analysis

A team writes a requirement as: "The system shall allow a manager to approve a leave request, and it shall be secure, and it shall run on mobile devices." What is the most significant defect?

  1. It uses the word "shall" incorrectly
  2. It bundles several distinct requirements into one statement, complicating traceability and verification Correct answer.
  3. It references leave requests
  4. It names a manager as an actor

Explanation

Combining multiple needs in a single statement violates the principle that each requirement should be atomic, because partial satisfaction and independent change become hard to track. Splitting the statement yields separately verifiable and traceable requirements.

Question 43Requirements Engineering and Analysis

Which statement best explains the relationship between requirements elicitation and requirements analysis?

  1. Elicitation happens only after the system is deployed
  2. Both terms are synonyms for writing the final specification
  3. Analysis gathers raw needs, while elicitation refines and classifies them
  4. Elicitation gathers raw needs from sources, while analysis refines, classifies, and resolves conflicts among them Correct answer.

Explanation

Elicitation is the discovery activity that collects information from stakeholders and other sources, producing raw and often conflicting input. Analysis then structures that input, detects conflicts and gaps, and shapes it into coherent, verifiable requirements.

Question 44Requirements Engineering and Analysis

An analyst needs to model how different user roles interact with a system over time, including alternative paths when errors occur. Which model is most appropriate?

  1. A Gantt chart of the project schedule
  2. A use case model with main and alternate flows for each actor's goals Correct answer.
  3. An entity-relationship diagram of the database
  4. A data flow diagram showing only data stores

Explanation

Use cases capture actor goals together with main success scenarios and alternate or exception flows, which is exactly the behavioral view described. Data and entity models show structure, and schedules show timing of work.

Question 45Requirements Engineering and Analysis

Which of the following is the clearest example of a constraint rather than a functional or quality requirement?

  1. The system must encrypt data at rest
  2. The system must be deployed on the organization's existing vendor-managed cloud platform Correct answer.
  3. The system must let users reset their own passwords
  4. The system must respond to search queries within one second

Explanation

A constraint is an externally imposed restriction on how the solution may be built or operated, such as a mandated platform or language. The other options describe behavior or a measurable quality the system itself must exhibit.

Question 46Requirements Engineering and Analysis

A stakeholder insists that a requirement be included because "it has always been done this way," though no current business goal depends on it. In analysis terms, what should the analyst do?

  1. Challenge the requirement's justification and confirm whether it supports a real goal before keeping it Correct answer.
  2. Reject it outright without discussing it with the stakeholder
  3. Escalate immediately to senior management
  4. Include it without question to avoid conflict

Explanation

Requirements should trace to a genuine need or goal, so the analyst probes the rationale behind inherited features. If no valid justification exists, the requirement can be dropped or deprioritized through discussion rather than by fiat or escalation.

Question 47Requirements Engineering and Analysis

In a requirements review, what distinguishes an inspection from a simple walkthrough?

  1. An inspection is performed only by the author, whereas a walkthrough involves outside reviewers
  2. An inspection produces no documented output, whereas a walkthrough produces a formal report
  3. An inspection occurs after release, whereas a walkthrough occurs during design
  4. An inspection follows a defined process with assigned roles, checklists, and recorded defects, whereas a walkthrough is an informal author-led presentation Correct answer.

Explanation

Formal inspection is a structured, team-based review with defined roles such as moderator and recorder, checklists, and logged defects. A walkthrough is lighter, led by the author to explain the artifact and gather reactions.

Question 48Requirements Engineering and Analysis

A project adopts an agile approach and maintains requirements as user stories with acceptance criteria. How does this affect the role of a requirements baseline?

  1. The baseline must contain every story the team may ever consider
  2. The baseline concept disappears entirely because agile projects have no requirements
  3. The baseline is created only after the final release ships
  4. The baseline still exists but is set per iteration or release, with scope refined through backlog grooming rather than a single upfront freeze Correct answer.

Explanation

Agile projects still baseline requirements for planning and change control, but the baseline is scoped to an iteration or release and evolves as the backlog is refined. This preserves traceability and control without a single monolithic upfront freeze.

Question 49Software Design Principles and Architecture

In the SOLID principles, which statement best captures the Single Responsibility Principle as applied to a software module?

  1. A module should expose exactly one public method to its callers.
  2. A module should depend only on interfaces from the same package.
  3. A module should have one reason to change, tied to a single actor or stakeholder. Correct answer.
  4. A module should be instantiated only once during the application lifecycle.

Explanation

The Single Responsibility Principle states that a module should be responsible to one actor, so it has one reason to change. It is about the source of change requests, not about the number of methods or instances. Grouping code that serves different stakeholders creates fragile coupling.

Question 50Software Design Principles and Architecture

A class hierarchy has a base type Bird with a fly() method, and a Penguin subclass overrides fly() to throw an exception. Which design principle does this most directly violate?

  1. Interface Segregation Principle
  2. Liskov Substitution Principle Correct answer.
  3. Open-Closed Principle
  4. Dependency Inversion Principle

Explanation

The Liskov Substitution Principle requires that subtypes be usable wherever the base type is expected without breaking correctness. A Penguin that throws from fly() breaks the contract promised by Bird, so client code cannot safely substitute it. The fix is usually to split flying behavior into a separate abstraction.