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WorksheetsSoftware Engineering 2 Exam - Prelim
Total questions: 46
Worksheet time: 23mins
What is the primary focus of Software Engineering 2, as described in the course outline?
Theoretical principles and foundational concepts of software design.
Practical application of software engineering principles from implementation to maintenance.
A review of programming languages and data structures.
The history and evolution of software development.
Which of the following best describes an 'iterative' development approach?
Developing a complete software product from start to finish in a single, long phase.
Releasing small, functional pieces of the software in cycles and building upon them.
Writing all the code before any design or planning is done.
Focusing solely on the backend database and ignoring the user interface.
What is a 'Capstone / Major Project' primarily designed to do in this course?
Provide a simple coding exercise to test basic programming skills.
Reinforce collaborative development practices by building a full-cycle software product in teams.
Serve as a small, individual assignment to be completed in one week.
Focus exclusively on a single phase, such as software testing.
Which of the following is an example of an 'Agile' practice?
Creating a full, detailed project plan for all 18 weeks upfront.
Holding daily stand-up meetings to discuss progress and blockers.
Refusing to change project requirements once development has started.
Following a strict, rigid timeline with no room for adjustments.
The course emphasizes using modern tools and methodologies. Which of the following is an example of a modern tool mentioned in the labs section?
Punch cards
Waterfall charts
Figma
Assembly language compilers
Which software process model is characterized by fixed-length iterations called 'sprints'?
Waterfall Model
Spiral Model
Kanban
Scrum
A Kanban board is most effective for:
Planning a large project from beginning to end with a strict timeline.
Managing the continuous flow of work and visualizing workflow bottlenecks.
Documenting every single detail of the software architecture.
Predicting the exact launch date of a product one year in advance.
What is the main purpose of creating a Gantt chart in project planning?
To list the names of everyone on the project team.
To visualize project tasks, their durations, and dependencies over time.
To write user stories and create a product backlog.
To generate user feedback and conduct surveys.
In Agile development, what is a 'sprint'?
A long, multi-month phase dedicated to a single feature.
A short, time-boxed period during which a specific set of work is completed.
An unplanned, emergency task that must be done immediately.
A review meeting with stakeholders at the end of a project.
Which of these is a key characteristic of the Waterfall model?
High flexibility and continuous client feedback.
Phases are completed sequentially with little to no overlap.
Daily stand-up meetings and short iterations.
It is best suited for projects with constantly changing requirements.
What is the key difference between a Functional and a Non-Functional Requirement?
Functional requirements describe the performance of a system, while non-functional requirements describe what the system does.
Functional requirements describe what the system does, while non-functional requirements describe how the system should perform.
Functional requirements are mandatory, while non-functional requirements are optional.
Functional requirements are for the backend, while non-functional requirements are for the frontend.
The requirement 'The system must load a page within 3 seconds' is an example of a:
Functional requirement
User story
Non-functional requirement
Project plan
What is a 'microservices' architecture style?
A single, large application built as a monolithic unit.
An architecture where an application is broken down into a collection of small, independent services.
A design where the database is the central component.
A system that can only be deployed on a single server.
The Model-View-Controller (MVC) architectural pattern separates the application into which three components?
Main, View, Controller
Module, Vendor, Client
Model, View, Controller
Main, View, Client
What is the main purpose of 'Requirements Refinement'?
To write the code for the system.
To take high-level needs and transform them into detailed, clear specifications.
To test the system for bugs and errors.
To decide on the final user interface design.
What is a 'wireframe'?
A high-fidelity design with full color and detailed graphics.
A low-fidelity, static visual blueprint of an application's structure and content.
A fully functional software prototype.
A document that lists all the non-functional requirements.
Which of the following is a key aspect of 'Usability'?
The system's ability to connect to a database.
The system's maintainability for future updates.
The ease and pleasantness with which a user can achieve their goals.
The number of lines of code written for the application.
Providing an 'Undo' button after a user deletes an item is an example of which UI/UX principle?
Aesthetic and Minimalist Design
Flexibility and Efficiency
User Control and Freedom
Visibility of System Status
The principle of 'Accessibility' in UI/UX design ensures that a system can be used by:
Only expert users who know the system well.
Users with the widest range of abilities and disabilities.
Only users on a specific operating system.
People who have a computer science degree.
What is a 'prototype' primarily used for?
To replace the final, fully developed software.
To provide an interactive simulation for user testing and feedback.
To generate the backend code for a system automatically.
To create a comprehensive project plan.
Your capstone project team is choosing between a simple, one-time release calculator app (Idea A) and a task management app with iterative, small releases (Idea B). Which idea better aligns with the core philosophy of this course (Software Engineering 2)?
Idea A, because it has a well-defined scope and a single-phase development process.
Idea B, because it emphasizes the practical application of agile and iterative methodologies for a complete product.
Both ideas are equally aligned as they are both software projects.
Neither idea is appropriate, as capstone projects should always be large, complex enterprise systems.
A team member insists on using a specific programming language for a project, despite the team's lack of familiarity with it and its poor fit for the requirements. This behavior primarily contradicts which core course emphasis?
Requirements refinement
Agile and iterative development
Collaborative development practices
System architecture styles
Your team discovers a major technical issue that will cause a significant delay in a new feature. How would the agile approach emphasized in this course help your team manage this?
By stopping all work on the project until a single, detailed plan to fix the issue is created.
By allowing the team to pause the current sprint, address the issue, and then replan the remaining work for a future sprint.
By immediately firing the team member who made the mistake that led to the issue.
By forcing the team to work overtime to ensure the original deadline is met without any changes.
A Kanban team finds that the 'In Progress' column on their board is constantly full of tasks, while the 'To Do' and 'Done' columns are often empty. What is the most likely problem with this workflow?
The team is not using the correct software for their Kanban board.
The team is failing to limit their Work in Progress (WIP), causing bottlenecks and slowdowns.
The team is completing tasks too quickly, leading to a shortage of new tasks.
The Scrum Master is not fulfilling their duties correctly.
At the beginning of a sprint, your Scrum team feels they cannot realistically complete all the user stories presented by the Product Owner. What is the appropriate Scrum ceremony to address this, and what is its goal?
The Daily Stand-up, to provide an update on the progress of tasks.
The Sprint Review, to demonstrate the completed work to stakeholders.
The Sprint Retrospective, to discuss what went well and what could be improved.
The Sprint Planning meeting, to agree on a realistic scope and commit to a set of work for the sprint.
A startup's new mobile app has constantly changed requirements due to market uncertainty. Which process model would be most appropriate for this project?
The Waterfall model, because its sequential phases are perfect for a new product.
The Spiral model, because its focus on risk management is ideal for this scenario.
The Waterfall model, because it handles a large amount of documentation effectively.
Scrum or Kanban, because they are agile methodologies that embrace change and iterative development.
A social media app needs a 'user search' feature that must handle 10,000 concurrent search queries without crashing. Which of the following is a non-functional requirement?
The system must allow a user to search for another user by name.
The system must have a 'cancel' button on the search page.
The system must display a list of search results.
The system must be able to handle 10,000 concurrent search queries without crashing.
Your team separates the codebase of a new e-commerce site into three distinct parts: a data layer, a business logic layer, and a user interface layer. What architectural pattern is this team following, and what is a key benefit?
Microservices; it allows for the entire system to be deployed on a single server.
Model-View-Controller (MVC); it separates concerns, making the application easier to manage and scale.
Monolithic; it provides the fastest possible development time.
Layered Architecture; it makes the application entirely dependent on one technology stack.
A small, three-person team is on a very tight deadline for a new project. They are debating between a monolithic and a microservices architecture. Which would you recommend?
Microservices, because its independent services are easier to deploy quickly.
Microservices, because its complexity is ideal for a small, inexperienced team.
Monolithic, because its simpler structure is easier for a small team to manage and deploy under a tight deadline.
Monolithic, because it offers greater flexibility in technology choice for each component.
A user trying to register on a website receives the generic error message, "Invalid Input." No additional information is provided. Which of Nielsen's Usability Heuristics is most violated?
Visibility of System Status
User Control and Freedom
Error Prevention
Help Users Recognize, Diagnose, and Recover from Errors
What specific design choice ensures that users who cannot use a mouse can still navigate a web application's menu, and which WCAG principle does this address?
Providing a "skip to main content" link, addressing the Perceivable principle.
Ensuring all navigation links are accessible via keyboard tabbing, addressing the Operable principle.
Using high-contrast colors, addressing the Understandable principle.
Making sure all navigation links have tooltips, addressing the Robust principle.
A product manager on limited budget needs quick feedback on a new app's layout and flow from users. What should they create?
A high-fidelity prototype, because it looks and feels like the final product.
A low-fidelity wireframe, because it is quick and cheap to create and is perfect for early-stage feedback on layout.
A fully functional MVP (Minimum Viable Product), because users need to see all the features working.
A detailed project plan, because it will answer all their questions about the layout.
Your team adopts a Microservices architecture to meet a low-latency non-functional requirement. How will this decision most likely affect your Scrum process and project planning? (3pts)
It will simplify the process as all services can be developed and deployed together in one sprint.
It will increase complexity by requiring a focus on communication between services, leading to more complex tasks and potentially longer sprint planning sessions.
It will have no impact on the Scrum process as architecture is unrelated to methodology.
It will allow for the elimination of daily stand-up meetings.
Your team successfully delivers a complete capstone project that is well-received by your peers and instructor. However, the project was built without using any modern development tools, and all decisions were made by a single team leader. Based on the course's emphasis, how would you evaluate the overall success of this project?
A complete success, as the final product was delivered on time and was well-received.
A qualified success, because while the product was good, the process failed to reinforce key collaborative development and tool usage practices.
A failure, because the project did not use the prescribed tools and methodologies.
A qualified success, because the single team leader made the project efficient and fast.
A project manager for a software company wants to adopt a more agile approach to development. They decide to skip the "Lessons Learned" and "Capstone Review" phases, arguing that they are a waste of time and don't contribute to the final product. Based on the course principles, what is the likely outcome of this decision?
It will have no negative impact, as these are merely ceremonial activities.
It will increase the team's efficiency by removing unnecessary meetings.
The team will fail to learn from their mistakes and improve their process in future projects.
The project will be delivered faster, but it will be of lower quality.
How does the course's emphasis on a full-cycle capstone project synthesize the lessons of Software Engineering 1?
By focusing only on theoretical principles from the first course.
By moving beyond theoretical knowledge to the practical application of design, implementation, and maintenance.
By requiring students to use the exact same programming language as in the first course.
It is not related to the first course.
A product development team decides to use both Scrum and Kanban methodologies for their new project. What is the most likely way they could effectively synthesize these two models?
By using Scrum for their daily work and Kanban for sprint planning.
By using Kanban for the internal development team's workflow and Scrum for the overall product delivery and stakeholder management.
By completely replacing daily stand-ups with a continuous Kanban flow.
This is an impossible approach as the two models are fundamentally incompatible.
Your team is using a Scrum process to build a new feature. During the sprint, a team member identifies a critical bug that needs to be fixed immediately. How should the team evaluate the best way to handle this situation while maintaining the integrity of their sprint?
The team should stop the sprint immediately, fix the bug, and then start a new sprint.
The team should add the bug fix to the current sprint backlog and reassess their commitment during the daily stand-up.
The team should wait until the sprint is over and add the bug fix to the next sprint.
The team should work overtime to fix the bug without telling the Product Owner.
A large, established organization wants to create a new online portal with very stable and well-defined requirements. The project team is very new to the company and has little experience working together. Which process model would be the most efficient and low-risk choice for this project?
Kanban, because it is great for managing a continuous flow of work.
Scrum, because its short iterations will help the team learn to collaborate quickly.
The Waterfall Model, because its sequential and predictable nature is ideal for stable requirements and new teams.
A hybrid approach, combining all three models.
A software team decides to adopt a Microservices architecture for their new app. A few sprints into development, the team realizes they are spending a lot of time and effort managing communication and data consistency between the different services. What is the most likely reason for this, and how does it relate to the trade-offs of this architectural style?
This is a bug in the code; Microservices are designed to be simple and easy to manage.
This is a violation of a functional requirement, which should have been caught during the planning phase.
This is an expected complexity of Microservices; while they offer scalability, they introduce new challenges in distributed system management.
The team should have used the MVC pattern instead, which has none of these issues.
An organization with an existing, large monolithic application receives a new non-functional requirement to "improve the performance of the reporting feature to handle 10x more users." How would you evaluate the most efficient architectural change to meet this new requirement?
The entire monolithic application must be rewritten from scratch.
The reporting feature should be separated and rebuilt as a standalone microservice that can be scaled independently.
The entire application should be refactored into a full MVC pattern.
No architectural change is necessary; they only need to upgrade the server.
During the requirements refinement phase for a simple mobile game, a team proposes that the game should not allow for in-app purchases. This is an example of a:
Functional requirement, because it describes a specific action the system will perform.
Non-functional requirement, because it is an external constraint on the system.
Both a functional and a non-functional requirement.
Neither, as it is a business decision.
A designer creates a button with a subtle, low-contrast color that is visually appealing but difficult for a user with a visual impairment to see. Which of the following best describes the conflict in this design choice?
It successfully follows the Aesthetic and Minimalist Design principle but fails to meet the Operable WCAG principle.
It successfully follows the Aesthetic and Minimalist Design principle but fails to meet the Perceivable WCAG principle.
It successfully follows the User Control and Freedom principle but fails to meet the Aesthetic and Minimalist Design principle.
It successfully follows the Visibility of System Status principle but fails to meet the Robust WCAG principle.
A team decides to use a high-fidelity prototype to test a complex user flow before writing any code. What is a key reason for using a high-fidelity prototype in this scenario, as opposed to a low-fidelity wireframe?
A high-fidelity prototype is faster to create and cheaper to use for testing.
A high-fidelity prototype can be used to gather more realistic feedback on the user's emotions and overall experience.
A high-fidelity prototype is primarily used to secure funding from investors, not for user testing.
A high-fidelity prototype is always the first step in the design process.
A project manager wants to ensure that a web application is usable on both desktop and mobile devices. What UI/UX design principle is most relevant to this goal?
Error Prevention
Flexibility and Efficiency of Use
Help and Documentation
Consistency and Standards
Your team is using a Scrum process to build a microservices architecture for a capstone project. A new functional requirement is introduced mid-sprint that requires two of the independent services to share data in a way that wasn't originally planned. How does your team's choice of architecture influence your project planning and agile process in this scenario? (3pts.)
The change is simple; you only need to modify one service, and the sprint can continue as planned.
The sprint must be cancelled, and the entire project must be re-architected.
The independent nature of the microservices makes this change trivial and has no impact on the project plan.
The team must evaluate how to manage this new communication between services, likely adding new, complex tasks to the backlog, which will impact the sprint's scope and subsequent sprint planning.
