Software Engineering Questions and Answers Set 1

Software Engineering 

Questions 1 to 10

Set1 Set2 Set3 Set4 Set5 Set6 Set7 Set8

1. Identify, from among the following, the correct statement. (a)   One of the main challenges Software Engineering facing today is the requirement of most software systems to work with a multitude of homogenous systems (b)   ‘Legacy systems’ are custom developed software systems for the legal domain (c)   Software does not wear-out in the traditional sense of the term, but software does tend to deteriorate as it evolves (d)   Since software is essentially ‘intangible’ it is relatively easy to manage software projects (e)   With the advent of component based software assembly, we find that only less than 20% of today’s software is still custom built. 2. Software Engineering: (a)   Is a set of rules about developing software products (b)   Has been around as a discipline since the early 50’s (c)   Started as a response to the so-called ‘Software Crisis’ of the late 90’s (d)   Is an engineering discipline concerned with all the aspects of software production (e)   Is now a mature discipline on par with other established engineering fields. 3. Read the following paragraph and identify the correct statement. “Imagine that you were recently hired as a software engineer to a company that specializes in aircraft navigation control software. While orientating yourselves to the company’s work practices, you observe that they in fact do not conduct a few tests that they should in order to comply with the relevant safety standard. When you inquire about this from the project manager, he dismisses it saying that those tests are really unnecessary (and takes an unreasonably long time to conduct, as well as being superfluous) and that they have managed with the other tests for so long, without any problems.” (a)   You should immediately resign from the company and file a complaint with the relevant standard institution (b)   You should do nothing and let the matter slide (c)   Although you are new to the company, and you hardly know anything about the internal processes and politics, you should insist on the company changing its work practices immediately; failing which you threaten to report the matter (d)   Since you are new to the company, and you are unfamiliar with the internal processes and politics, you should first find-out more about the issue and its background (e)   None of the above statements are correct. 4. With regard to Evolutionary development, identify the correct statement. (a)   Evolutionary development usually comes in two flavors; exploratory development, and throw-away prototyping (b)   Very large projects are natural candidates for an evolutionary development based approach (c)   Exploratory development is used in situations where most of the requirements are well understood in advance (d)   One of the strong points of evolutionary development is that it facilitates easy project management, through the high volume of documentation it generates (e)   Often the construction of a throw-away prototype is not followed by a reimplementation of the system using a more structured approach. 5. What is the fundamental reason that software cannot be considered to be engineered? (a)   It is designed by humans and therefore flawed (b)   Software engineering (as opposed to other forms of engineering, such as Civil) is an art - not a science (c)   The discipline is relatively new, say in comparison to bridge building that is an activity that has millennia of practice (d)   None of these are true. Software Engineering is a truly rigorous discipline (e)   The complexity of systems and their interaction continues faster than we can understand it. 6. The software life cycle can be said to consist of a series of phases. The classical model is referred to as the waterfall model. Which phase may be defined as "The concept is explored and refined, and the client's requirements are elicited?" (a)  Requirements                                   (b)  Specification                                    (c)  Design (d)  Implementation                                 (e)  Integration. 7. The individual or organisation who wants a product to be developed is known as the: (a)  Developer           (b)  User                  (c)  Contractor          (d)  Initiator              (e)  Client. 8. Which of the following items should not be included in the software project management plan? (a)   The techniques and case tools to be used (b)   Detailed schedules, budgets and resource allocations (c)   The life cycle model to be used (d)   The organisational structure of the development organisation, project responsibilities, managerial objectives and priorities (e)   None of the above. 9. The final form of testing COTS software is _________ testing. (a)  Unit                   (b)  Integration          (c)  Alpha                (d)  Module              (e)  Beta. 10. In the maintenance phase the product must be tested against previous test cases. This is known as __________ testing. (a)  Unit                   (b)  Integration          (c)  Regression        (d)  Module              (e)  Beta.

Answers

1.	Answer : © Reason:  Remaining all are contradictory.
2.	Answer : (d) Reason:  Software crisis of the late 60’s .
3.	Answer : (d) Reason:  D is the appropriate choice.
4.	Answer : (a) Reason:  Evolutionary development usually comes in two flavors; exploratory development, and throw-away prototyping is the correct statement with respect to Evolutionary development.
5.	Answer : (e) Reason:  The fundamental reason that software can not be considered to be engineered is the complexity of systems and their interaction continues faster than we can understand it.
6.	Answer : (a) Reason:  In the requirements phase the concept is explored and refined and the clients requirements are elicited.
7.	Answer : (e) Reason:  The individual or organisation who wants a product to be developed is known as the client.
8.	Answer : (e) Reason:  The software project management plan should include: the life cycle model to be used, the organisational structure of the development organisation, project responsibilities, managerial objectives and priorities, the life cycle model to be used, detailed schedules, budgets and resource allocations.
9.	Answer : (e) Reason:  Beta testing occurs when a commercial form of the software is released to selected clients.
10.	Answer : © Reason:  Regression testing occurs when the product is tested against previous test cases. This most frequently occurs in the maintenance phase.

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