SOEN 341 Software Process MCQ - practice exam questions and answers for Rodrigo Morales 2026-2027 Co

SOEN 341 Software Process MCQ - practice exam questions and answers for Rodrigo Morales 2026-2027 Concordia University

Section 1: Principles of Design and Coding (Week 9) 1. What is the purpose of version management tools like Git or SVN? A) Testing software B) Coordinating development progress C) Writing source code D) Automating build systems Answer: B

2. Which of the following is NOT a key concept of implementation?

A) Understandability B) Testability C) Scalability D) Efficiency Answer: C 3. What is the DRY principle?

A) Design Reuse for Yield B) Don’t Repeat Yourself C) Debugging Reuse Yields D) Dynamic Runtime Yield Answer: B 4. Which NASA JPL coding standard ensures fields are immutable?

A) Make fields static B) Initialize fields before use C) Declare fields final D) Avoid mutable fields Answer: C 5. What does Big-O notation measure?

A) Code quality B) Algorithm complexity C) Test coverage D) Functionality completeness Answer: B

Section 2: SQA Reviews (Week 10) 6. What are the two main concerns of SQA? A) Black-box and White-box testing B) Verification and Validation C) Structured and Modern Reviews D) Regression and Release Testing Answer: B 7. Which of the following best describes modern reviews?

A) Checklist-driven and in-person B) Tool-supported and asynchronous

C) Always conducted by moderators D) Replaces structured inspections Answer: B 8. What is the role of a producer in a structured inspection?

A) Moderates the meeting B) Corrects problems found during review C) Documents identified issues D) Reads the code aloud to the team Answer: B 9. What advantage do software inspections have over testing?

A) Requires executable code B) Identifies cascading errors C) Finds inefficiencies and style issues D) Guarantees bug-free code Answer: C 10. What type of errors does a code checklist aim to identify?

A) Algorithmic complexity errors B) Data reference and control flow errors C) Only performance issues D) Errors requiring execution of the code Answer: B

Section 3: Software Testing (Week 10) 11. What is the primary goal of testing?

A) Ensure bug-free software B) Prove the absence of bugs C) Show the presence of bugs D) Test all operating conditions Answer: C 12. What is equivalence partitioning?

A) Testing every possible input value B) Dividing inputs into classes with similar behavior C) Running tests multiple times to ensure accuracy D) Testing only boundary values Answer: B 13. Which of these is a black-box testing method?

A) Unit tests B) System tests C) White-box tests D) Branch coverage tests Answer: B 14. What is the V-model of development?

A) A model of validation processes only

B) A framework linking testing stages with development stages C) A dynamic testing framework D) A tool for equivalence partitioning Answer: B 15. What is regression testing?

A) Testing only new features B) Re-running selected test cases after changes C) Exhaustively testing all inputs D) Focusing on system-level tests Answer: B

Section 4: Design Patterns (Week 8) 16. What are the three categories of design patterns?

A) Structural, Functional, and Behavioral B) Creational, Structural, and Behavioral C) Static, Dynamic, and Functional D) Logical, Physical, and Process Answer: B 17. Which pattern dynamically adds responsibilities to objects?

A) Observer B) Factory C) Decorator D) Strategy Answer: C 18. What is the purpose of the Singleton pattern?

A) Create multiple instances of a class B) Ensure a class has only one instance C) Group related classes together D) Share data between unrelated classes Answer: B 19. Which pattern enables different algorithms to be swapped dynamically?

A) Observer B) Strategy C) Composite D) Adapter Answer: B 20. What is the Factory Method pattern used for?

A) Create objects without exposing the instantiation logic B) Dynamically add responsibilities to objects C) Notify dependent objects of state changes D) Group classes into hierarchies Answer: A

Section 5: Anti-patterns (Week 8) 21. What is the Blob anti-pattern?

A) A class with high cohesion and low coupling B) A class handling most of the system's processing C) A poorly named variable D) A recurring design issue in GUIs Answer: B 22. What does the Spaghetti Code anti-pattern result from?

A) Excessive testing B) Code with minimal structure and clarity C) Overuse of design patterns D) Lack of regression testing Answer: B 23. Which anti-pattern occurs when the same code is duplicated throughout the codebase?

A) Blob B) Spaghetti Code C) Code Duplication D) Swiss Army Knife Answer: C 24. What is the primary solution to the Blob anti-pattern?

A) Refactor into cohesive classes B) Add more comments C) Replace with a singleton D) Use dynamic typing Answer: A 25. What is YAGNI? A) A pattern to increase cohesion B) "You Aren’t Going to Need It" C) A principle for static analysis D) A regression testing tool Answer: B

Section 6: Release Engineering (Week 11) 26. What is the main goal of release engineering?

A) Enhance system performance B) Build, package, and distribute software reliably C) Automate testing processes D) Reduce software costs Answer: B 27. What are the key phases of a release pipeline?

A) Development, Testing, Validation

B) Integration, Build, Deployment C) Code Review, Testing, Maintenance D) Versioning, Packaging, Distribution Answer: B 28. What is Continuous Integration (CI)?

A) Writing code continuously without breaks B) Frequent integration of code with automated builds and tests C) Delaying builds to integrate changes D) Ensuring only one build per day Answer: B 29. What is a major challenge of modern release pipelines?

A) High cost of deployment B) Difficulty in automating builds C) Maintaining consistent build systems D) Lack of tools for configuration management Answer: C 30. Which tool is used to track configuration in release engineering?

A) JIRA B) Git C) Jenkins D) Ansible Answer: D

Section 7: Testing Techniques (Week 10) 31. What is black-box testing best suited for?

A) Internal code structure validation B) Verifying software requirements C) Checking function-to-function interactions D) Ensuring test coverage Answer: B 32. Why is equivalence partitioning used in testing?

A) To test all possible inputs B) To group inputs with similar behavior C) To reduce code coupling D) To avoid testing edge cases Answer: B 33. What is regression testing used for?

A) Testing only newly added features B) Retesting after bug fixes to ensure no new issues C) Testing boundary cases of inputs D) Ensuring code refactoring is complete Answer: B

34. What is a combinatorial explosion in testing?

A) The rapid growth of test cases with multiple inputs B) The inability to test integration points C) A failure in regression testing tools D) A bug affecting parallel systems Answer: A 35. What is the primary focus of system testing?

A) Testing isolated code units B) Validating full system functionality C) Measuring algorithm performance D) Checking code style Answer: B

Section 8: Design Patterns (Advanced) (Week 8) 36. Which pattern helps objects with incompatible interfaces to work together?

A) Observer B) Adapter C) Singleton D) Decorator Answer: B 37. What is the role of the Observer pattern?

A) Dynamically add responsibilities to objects B) Notify dependent objects when the state changes C) Create objects based on conditions D) Abstract object instantiation Answer: B 38. Which pattern organizes objects into tree structures?

A) Composite B) Façade C) Bridge D) Flyweight Answer: A 39. What is the purpose of the Façade pattern?

A) Reduce dependencies between components B) Simplify access to a complex system C) Dynamically add object behavior D) Encapsulate algorithm families Answer: B 40. Which pattern is ideal for configuring systems with interchangeable families of objects?

A) Abstract Factory B) Singleton C) Decorator

D) Adapter Answer: A

Section 9: Anti-patterns (Advanced) (Week 8) 41. What does the Swiss Army Knife anti-pattern involve?

A) A class with excessive and unrelated functionality B) Overuse of inheritance C) Lack of cohesion in utility functions D) A tool-based design flaw Answer: A 42. What is the problem with long parameter lists?

A) Makes the code slower B) Reduces readability and increases complexity C) Forces coupling between unrelated classes D) Breaks the DRY principle Answer: B 43. What is a functional decomposition anti-pattern?

A) Excessive use of recursion B) Overuse of functions with no meaningful structure C) Creating a single function for every action D) Applying dynamic typing in static systems Answer: B 44. What is a Lazy Class in anti-patterns?

A) A class that delegates too many tasks to others B) A class with too few responsibilities to justify its existence C) A class that violates the YAGNI principle D) A class with unimplemented methods Answer: B 45. What solution is suggested for dealing with Code Duplication?

A) Introduce dynamic typing B) Refactor shared code into methods or classes C) Replace shared code with manual inline functions D) Use inheritance for all shared functionality Answer: B

Section 10: General Software Engineering 46. What is the primary purpose of structured inspections?

A) Identify only syntax errors B) Find functional and non-functional problems in artifacts C) Replace dynamic testing

D) Simplify build processes Answer: B 47. What is the main difference between Alpha and Beta testing?

A) Alpha is done by customers; Beta is done by developers B) Alpha tests early versions; Beta tests pre-release versions C) Beta tests the entire codebase; Alpha tests specific features D) Alpha requires production environments; Beta does not Answer: B 48. What is the goal of equivalence classes in testing?

A) Test all inputs exhaustively B) Minimize test cases while covering functional behavior C) Focus on performance improvements D) Eliminate redundant unit tests Answer: B 49. Which phase of the release pipeline integrates and tests changes?

A) Deployment B) Build C) Integration D) Maintenance Answer: C 50. What does coupling in software design indicate?

A) Degree of dependence between modules B) Reusability of functions C) Amount of shared variables in a module D) Complexity of algorithmic implementation Answer: A

Section 11: Design and Coding Principles 51. What is the purpose of using meaningful variable names?

A) To improve execution speed B) To enhance code readability C) To reduce file size D) To optimize algorithms Answer: B 52. Which of these is NOT a benefit of following a coding style convention?

A) Increased readability B) Reduced need for documentation C) Easier code reviews D) Faster execution times Answer: D 53. Why should conditional statements be minimized for testability?

A) They increase code coupling B) They make code slower C) They create more execution paths to test

D) They violate the DRY principle Answer: C 54. What is cohesion in software design?

A) The degree of independence between modules B) The degree of functional strength within a module C) The relationship between classes in different layers D) The balance of performance and reliability Answer: B 55. What is the benefit of applying design patterns to software development?

A) Ensures all classes have at least one interface B) Provides reusable solutions to common design problems C) Guarantees faster execution of code D) Eliminates the need for testing Answer: B

Section 12: Software Quality Assurance 56. What type of testing is associated with dynamic validation?

A) Black-box testing B) Inspections and reviews C) Static analysis D) Regression testing Answer: A 57. What is the key purpose of verification in SQA? A) Ensuring the product meets customer expectations B) Ensuring the product is built correctly C) Reducing system downtime D) Testing system scalability Answer: B 58. Why are inspections not a replacement for testing?

A) They are too time-consuming B) They cannot find all defects C) They require dynamic execution of code D) They are only useful for non-functional testing Answer: B 59. What is a common outcome of effective software inspections?

A) Reduced testing phases B) Improved code style and maintainability C) Elimination of all bugs D) Simplified deployment pipelines Answer: B 60. Which role ensures artifacts are ready for inspection?

A) Reviewer B) Producer

C) Moderator D) Recorder Answer: C

Section 13: Software Testing 61. Which type of test ensures components work together correctly?

A) Unit tests B) Integration tests C) Stress tests D) Regression tests Answer: B 62. What is the main goal of user acceptance testing?

A) Find performance bottlenecks B) Validate system functionality against user needs C) Ensure test coverage of all paths D) Test internal code structure Answer: B 63. What is the main disadvantage of white-box testing?

A) Cannot measure code coverage B) Requires knowledge of internal code C) Is less effective at finding missing functionality D) Does not test system requirements Answer: C 64. Which equivalence class boundary value is most likely to reveal bugs?

A) A value far from the boundary B) A middle-range value C) An extreme boundary value D) Any randomly selected value Answer: C 65. What is a key feature of system testing?

A) Tests only individual functions B) Focuses on non-functional requirements C) Validates the interaction of multiple components D) Ignores user requirements Answer: C

Section 14: Design Patterns (Advanced) 66. Which design pattern abstracts object instantiation?

A) Singleton B) Factory Method

C) Adapter D) Composite Answer: B 67. What problem does the Strategy pattern solve?

A) Grouping related objects into a hierarchy B) Dynamically selecting algorithms at runtime C) Abstracting system layers D) Simplifying object initialization Answer: B 68. Which pattern uses a single point of access to a resource?

A) Singleton B) Proxy C) Adapter D) Observer Answer: A 69. What is the main advantage of the Decorator pattern?

A) Simplifies object relationships B) Allows behavior to be added without modifying existing code C) Creates complex object hierarchies D) Handles dynamic method dispatch Answer: B 70. What type of pattern is the Observer?

A) Creational B) Structural C) Behavioral D) Design Answer: C

Section 15: Anti-patterns 71. What issue is addressed by refactoring a Lazy Class?

A) Overuse of comments B) Lack of meaningful responsibilities in a class C) Excessive dependencies between modules D) Inefficient algorithms Answer: B 72. What is the primary risk of Spaghetti Code?

A) Slows down code execution B) Makes software structure unclear and unmaintainable C) Reduces cohesion between classes D) Introduces unnecessary design patterns Answer: B 73. What is the main drawback of the Swiss Army Knife anti-pattern?

A) Over-specialization of methods

B) Unrelated functionality within the same class C) Excessive use of design patterns D) Lack of runtime type safety Answer: B 74. How can Code Duplication be resolved?

A) Using inheritance to encapsulate common behavior B) Increasing the number of classes C) Ignoring similar code to save time D) Adding additional comments Answer: A 75. What is a code smell?

A) A code feature that requires additional testing B) A symptom of poor design choices C) A result of applying design patterns incorrectly D) A type of runtime error Answer: B

Section 16: Release Engineering 76. What is the primary purpose of configuration management?

A) Automate testing procedures B) Manage dependencies and settings for software systems C) Write efficient code D) Reduce code duplication Answer: B 77. What is test flakiness?

A) Tests that fail randomly despite correct code B) Tests that only work under specific conditions C) Tests that always pass despite incorrect code D) Tests that run for too long Answer: A 78. What does deployment automation aim to achieve?

A) Reduced cost of development B) Consistent and reliable deployment across environments C) Elimination of bugs D) Faster code compilation Answer: B 79. Which issue arises from neglecting build system maintenance?

A) More efficient builds B) Incorrect build outputs C) Increased developer trust D) Reduced test flakiness Answer: B

80. What is the role of version control in release engineering?

A) Simplify code reviews B) Manage and track changes to source code over time C) Replace automated builds D) Test for software defects Answer: B

Section 17: General Topics 81. What is the main benefit of static analysis?

A) Requires no coding knowledge B) Finds issues without executing the code C) Improves algorithm performance D) Eliminates dynamic testing Answer: B 82. What is the primary challenge with exhaustive testing?

A) It requires too many tools B) It is infeasible due to large input spaces C) It cannot detect bugs D) It focuses only on performance issues Answer: B 83. What is the ripple effect in software testing?

A) A bug fix unintentionally causes new bugs B) A test case fails multiple times C) An algorithm repeats operations unnecessarily D) System testing affects integration testing results Answer: A 84. Why is boundary value testing effective?

A) It tests the maximum possible number of cases B) Bugs are more likely to occur at the boundaries of equivalence classes C) It increases the system's performance D) It ensures 100% test coverage Answer: B 85. What is the goal of user testing?

A) Check system specifications B) Ensure customer satisfaction and usability C) Measure algorithm complexity D) Simplify release cycles Answer: B