Software engineering is a discipline that applies systematic and disciplined approaches to the design, development, testing, and maintenance of software. If you’re a software engineer or just looking to refresh your basics, this quiz is for you. Dive into these 25 beginner-friendly multiple-choice questions on software engineering fundamentals!
Note that each question is followed by the correct answer and an explanation to help reinforce your knowledge.
1. Which of the following best describes software engineering?
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Explanation:
Software engineering applies systematic and disciplined approaches to design, develop, and maintain software.
2. What does SDLC stand for in software engineering?
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SDLC stands for Software Development Life Cycle, which encompasses various phases from planning to maintenance in the software development process.
3. Which phase comes first in SDLC?
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The planning phase is the initial step in SDLC, where project goals, scope, and constraints are determined.
4. Which methodology promotes frequent inspection and adaptation?
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Agile emphasizes frequent inspection, adaptation, and collaboration to deliver a product incrementally.
5. Which process model is built around phases and is linear in nature?
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The Waterfall model is a sequential design process, where each phase relies on the deliverables of the previous one.
6. What is the primary focus of software maintenance?
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Software maintenance involves debugging, enhancing existing features, and adding new features.
7. Which type of testing focuses on ensuring individual units work as intended?
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Unit testing focuses on individual components or units of software to ensure they function correctly.
8. In which testing phase do different software modules interact with each other?
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Integration testing focuses on the interactions between different software modules to ensure they work together as intended.
9. What is a software “bug”?
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A “bug” in software is an error, flaw, or fault that produces an unintended or incorrect result.
10. What is the main goal of software architecture?
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The primary aim of software architecture is to determine the high-level structure of the software system and its components.
11. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of good software?
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Good software should be simple, easy to understand, and not unnecessarily complex.
12. In the context of software metrics, what does LOC stand for?
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In software metrics, LOC stands for Line Of Code and is a metric that measures the size of a program by counting the number of lines in the text of the program’s source code.
13. Which software process model involves risk assessment and iterative enhancement?
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The Spiral model combines elements of both design and prototyping-in-stages, making it a cyclic approach. It’s focused on risk assessment and iterative enhancement.
14. In object-oriented programming, what does ‘polymorphism’ allow you to do?
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Polymorphism allows objects of different classes to be treated as objects of a common superclass. It permits an entity, such as a function or an object, to have more than one form.
15. Which of the following models is NOT suitable for accommodating any change?
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The Waterfall model is a linear and sequential approach where each phase must be completed before the next phase begins, making it less suitable for changes once a phase is completed.
16. Which phase of SDLC involves determining system requirements?
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The Analysis phase of SDLC involves gathering and analyzing the system requirements.
17. Which software development methodology emphasizes customer feedback and short iterations?
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Scrum is an Agile methodology that emphasizes customer feedback, collaboration, and short iterations (called sprints) to deliver functional software increments.
18. What is a “use case” primarily used for?
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A “use case” is a representation of interactions between an actor (typically a user) and a system to achieve a goal. It focuses on the system’s behavior from the user’s perspective.
19. What is the main purpose of software testing?
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The primary purpose of software testing is to identify defects and ensure that they get fixed.
20. Which document serves as a blueprint for the construction phase in the software development lifecycle?
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The design document lays out the software architecture and serves as a blueprint for developers during the construction phase.
21. In software engineering, what is a ‘stakeholder’?
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Stakeholders are individuals or groups who have an interest in the project’s success, ranging from clients to users, developers, and more.
22. What does the term ‘white box testing’ refer to?
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White box testing, also known as clear box testing, involves testing the software’s internal structures or workings.
23. In the context of project management, what does ‘scope creep’ mean?
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‘Scope creep’ refers to uncontrolled changes or continuous growth in a project’s scope, which can be a challenge for project managers as it might lead to projects going over time or over budget.
24. What is the primary aim of a feasibility study in software engineering?
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The feasibility study aims to evaluate the project’s potential for success and determine if it is technically and financially viable.
25. What does UML stand for in software engineering?
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UML stands for Unified Modeling Language, a standard notation for the modeling of real-world objects as a first step in developing an object-oriented design methodology.
26. In a software project, what does ‘WBS’ stand for?
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WBS stands for Work Breakdown Structure. It’s a hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of work to be carried out by the project team.