ISTQB Software Testing Quiz 11

1. Which of the following are success factors for reviews?

i) Clear objectives for each review.

ii) Checklists and/or roles are used to increase the effectiveness of defect identification.

iii) There is an emphasis on process improvement.

iv) People issues and psychological aspects are not taken into consideration.

I & iii

Ii, iii & iv

I, ii & iii

Iv

The factor that sticks out as being wrong is iv, because it's extremely important to pay attention to people issues so the process will be a positive experience. This eliminates B & D. Then it's just a question of deciding between A & C, which are the same except that C includes "checklists". Since checklists are important, we choose C.

Explanation

The factor that sticks out as being wrong is iv, because it's extremely important to pay attention to people issues so the process will be a positive experience. This eliminates B & D. Then it's just a question of deciding between A & C, which are the same except that C includes "checklists". Since checklists are important, we choose C.

2. Which of the following is a true statement about the use of static analysis tools?

Static analysis tools can change the code to reduce complexity.

Static analysis tools are intended to support developers only.

Static analysis tools aid in understanding of code structure and dependencies.

Static analysis tools cannot be used to enforce coding standards.

Static analysis tools report on code, they don't change it. They can report on violations of coding standards. They can be used by testing staff as well as by developers. They can help us understand the structure of the code, so the anwer is C.

Explanation

Static analysis tools report on code, they don't change it. They can report on violations of coding standards. They can be used by testing staff as well as by developers. They can help us understand the structure of the code, so the anwer is C.

3. Which of the following are Black Box test design techniques?

i) Boundary value analysis

ii) Decision testing

iii) Equivalence partitioning

iv) State transition testing

I, ii, iii & iv

I & iii

Iii & iv

I, iii & iv

Black Box test design techniques rely on deriving test cases based on the specification, without reference to the internal structure of the system. Decision testing relies on knowledge of the code (i.e. the internal structure), to test all the decision paths, and is a White Box technique. The other three are Black Box techniques.

Explanation

Black Box test design techniques rely on deriving test cases based on the specification, without reference to the internal structure of the system. Decision testing relies on knowledge of the code (i.e. the internal structure), to test all the decision paths, and is a White Box technique. The other three are Black Box techniques.

4. The company is thinking of providing staff with a special gift, which will be based on the employee’s length of service, as follows:

* Nothing if they have been with the company for less than a year;

* Nintendo Wii for between one and up to (but not including) two years;

* 42 inch Plasma screen for between two and up to (but not including) four years; and

* Porsche 911 for four years or more.

The company intranet, where the application will live, will accept inputs in whole months only. Negative values won't be allowed, but zero is OK.

How many equivalence partitions are needed to test the calculation of the special gift?

Two equivalence partitions

Three equivalence partitions

Four equivalence partitions

Five equivalence partitions

This question is a bit tricky. There are four groups of valid values so we would need at least four partitions. If we were testing negative values, we would need another partition for "invalid" values, but the question is only asking about valid values (i.e. those involved in the calculation of the special gift). Since zero would belong to the first partition, and doesn't need a separate equivalence class, the answer is four partitions.

Explanation

This question is a bit tricky. There are four groups of valid values so we would need at least four partitions. If we were testing negative values, we would need another partition for "invalid" values, but the question is only asking about valid values (i.e. those involved in the calculation of the special gift). Since zero would belong to the first partition, and doesn't need a separate equivalence class, the answer is four partitions.

5. Which of the following could be a disadvantage of independent testing?

Developer testing and independent testing will overlap and waste resources.

Communication is limited between independent testers and developers.

Independent testers are too slow and delay the project schedule.

Developers can lose a sense of responsibility for quality.

C is nonsense. A & B have some truth in them, but D is far more significant. It has certainly been shown in several organisations that when developers feel they can just "throw their work over the wall to the independent testing team", they may test a lot less.

Explanation

C is nonsense. A & B have some truth in them, but D is far more significant. It has certainly been shown in several organisations that when developers feel they can just "throw their work over the wall to the independent testing team", they may test a lot less.

6. Which of the following best describes typical test exit criteria?

Reliability measures, number of tests written, and product completeness.

Thoroughness measures, reliability measures, cost, schedule, tester availability and residual risks.

Thoroughness measures, reliability measures, test cost, amount of time spent testing and product completeness, number of defects.

Time to market, residual defects, tester qualification, degree of tester independence, thoroughness measures and test cost.

Some answers that look silly are "number of tests written" (which isn't the same as coverage), and "tester qualification", so I'd strike out A & D. We're again down to two choices. "Number of defects" can't be used as an exit criterion (because we'd have no way of knowing how many to expect) so B is the best answer.

Explanation

Some answers that look silly are "number of tests written" (which isn't the same as coverage), and "tester qualification", so I'd strike out A & D. We're again down to two choices. "Number of defects" can't be used as an exit criterion (because we'd have no way of knowing how many to expect) so B is the best answer.