Sample Questions on

Software Engineering and Agile Methodology

Unit 1
1. Explain the problem of 99 per cent complete syndrome.

2. State the dimensions of feasibility study.

3. Explain different phases and shortcomings of waterfall model.

4. State the goal of design phase in software development life cycle.

5. Explain the activities conducted in procedural approach to design software.

6. State the activities carried out during unit testing.

7. Explain different types of system testing.

8. Explain different types of maintenance.

9. Define phase containment of errors.

10. Discuss Shortcomings of Iterative Waterfall Model.

11. Explain the necessity of prototyping model.

12. Discuss life cycle activities of prototyping model.

13. Discuss strengths and Weaknesses of Prototyping Model.

14. Discuss Life cycle activities of Incremental Development Model.

15. Explain Advantages and Disadvantages of Evolutionary Model.

16. Explain the activities performed in each quadrant of spiral model.

17. Explain Advantages and Disadvantages of spiral Model.

18. Name popular agile models.

19. Define time box.

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20. Describe advantages and disadvantages of agile methods.

21. Explain the good practices needs to be practiced in extreme programming (XP).

22. Explain basic principles of Extreme programming.

23. Explain different types of artifacts in Scrum.

24. Describe different types of Scrum ceremonies.

25. State the goal of the requirements analysis and specification phase.

26. State the activities of requirements analysis and specification phase.

27. Define stakeholder.

28. Explain the methods of requirements gathering.

29. Explain different types of requirements problem with suitable examples.

30. Discuss different types of users of Software Requirements Specification (SRS) document.

31. Discuss uses of Software Requirements Specification (SRS) document.

32. Explain Characteristics of a Good SRS Document.

33. Explain Attributes of a Bad SRS Document.

34. Give examples of non-functional requirements.

35. Describe different categories of Non-Functional Requirements.

36. Explain traceability and its importance.

37. Discuss how traceability is achieved.

38. Explain different external interface requirements.

Unit 2
1. Explain about the successes the agile development focuses on.

2. State and explain values of agile methodology.

3. State and explain principles of agile methodology.

4. Discuss the skills of agile manager.

5. Distinguish between traditional and agile methodology.

6. Advantages and disadvantages of Traditional Software Development.

7. Advantages and disadvantages of agile Software Development.

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 8. Explain the life cycle of Extreme Programming (XP).

9. Explain the basic pattern of scrum.

Unit 3
1. Distinguish between synchronous and asynchronous operations with suitable diagrams.

2. Define data dictionary. Describe about the symbols used in data dictionary.

3. Explain balancing of Data Flow Diagrams with suitable examples.

4. Discuss about the Commonly made errors while constructing a Data Flow Diagram (DFD)
model.

5. Explain Shortcomings of DFD model.

6. Problems on DFD model.

7. Explain Basic building blocks of Structure Chart/ Explain Components of Structure Chart.

8. Compare Flow chart with structure chart.

9. Name the ways to Transform of a DFD Model into Structure Chart.

10. Explain transform analysis to convert a DFD model into Structure Chart with a suitable
example.

11. Explain transaction analysis to convert a DFD model into Structure Chart with a suitable
example.

12. Explain Functional Independence along with its advantages.

13. Define cohesion. Describe about various types of cohesion.

14. Define coupling. Describe about various types of coupling.

15. Describe the various views supported by Unified Modeling Language (UML).

16. Describe the relationships between use cases.

17. Describe the relationships between classes.

18. Compare aggregation and composition with suitable examples.

19. Differentiate between method and operation in a class.

20. Explain how to identify class relationships.

21. Explain about various interaction diagrams with suitable examples.

22. Name the types of control information in a sequence diagram.

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 Table 1: Table for Q 3
Activity Estimated Duration (weeks) Predecessor
T1 10 -
T2 15 -
T3 15 T1
T4 10 -
T5 10 T2, T4
T6 5 T1, T2
T7 20 T1
T8 25 T4
T9 15 T3, T6
T10 15 T7, T8
T11 10 T9
T12 10 T10, T11

23. Distinguish between sequence diagram and communication diagram.

24. Explain how activity diagrams differ from flow chart/procedural chart.

25. Define a swimlane.

26. Define a state.

27. Explain various types of events in a state machine diagram.

Unit 4
1. Problems on COCOMO, Function Point, Norden’s work, Putnam’s work, Jensen’s work.

2. Calculate Unadjusted Function Point (UFP), Complexity Adjustment Factor/Technical Com-

plexity Factor (CAF/TCF) and Function Point (FP) for the following problem.
Number of user inputs=24
Number of user outputs=16
Number of user inquiries=22
Number of files=4
Number of external interfaces=2
Assume all weighting factors to be average. The various complexity adjustment values are 4,
2, 0, 4, 3, 4, 5, 3, 5, 5, 4, 3, 5, 5.

3. Draw the network diagram, find out critical path and critical activities, calculate project
duration for the project given in Table 1.

4. Write down the objectives of activity planning.

5. Discuss about the approaches to identifying activities or tasks that make up a project.

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 6. Name two project scheduling techniques.

7. Write the approaches used to visualize the project as a network.

8. Define dummy activity.

9. Mention the significances of forward pass and backward pass in CPM.

10. Define critical path and critical activities.

11. Problems on CPM.

12. Discuss about the key elements of a risk.

13. Briefly discuss about sociotechnical model of risk.

14. Distinguish between project risk and business risk.

15. Explain about the approaches to identify risks.

16. Write the formula to compute risk exposure.

17. Discuss about different methods of risk planning.

18. Write the formula for risk reduction leverage. Mention its significance.

Unit 5
1. Discuss the importance of testing.

2. Distinguish between verification and validation.

3. Discuss about testing activities.

4. Define test case.

5. Describe different types of test cases with suitable examples.

6. Differentiate between black box testing and white box testing.

7. Explain different approaches to design black box test cases with suitable examples.

8. Explain different approaches to design white box test cases with suitable examples.

9. Problems on black box test cases.

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10. Consider the following C function named sort.
/* sort takes an integer array and sorts it in ascending order */
void sort(int a[], int n){
int i,j;
for(i=0;i<n-1;i++)
for(j=i+1;j<n;j++)
if(a[i]>a[j])
{
temp=a[i];
a[i]=a[j];
a[j]=temp;
}
}

(a) Determine the cyclomatic complexity of the sort function.

(b) Design a test suite for the function sort that satisfies the following white-box testing
strategies.
i. Statement coverage
ii. Branch coverage
iii. Condition coverage
iv. Path coverage

11. Define linearly independent set of paths/set of basis paths.

12. Discuss different levels of testing.

13. Name different approaches to integration testing.

14. Explain different kinds of system testing.

15. Name different types of performance testing.

16. Discuss about the stages in ISO 9000 registration process.

17. Write the importance of software quality.

18. Explain different types of software quality factors.

19. Discuss about ISO 9126 major external software quality characteristics and sub characteristics.

20. Distinguish between product and process metrics.

21. Write the process requirements.

22. Explain types of software companies to which the different ISO standards apply.

23. Discuss about SEI Capability Maturity Model.

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24. Explain about Key process areas of CMMI.

One/Two mark possible questions

1. Define software development life cycle.

2. Give one application of classical waterfall model.

3. Define phase containment of errors.

4. Define project management.

5. Define incomplete requirement.

6. Name the document that serves as a contract between the development team and the customer.

7. Name two activities of dataflow oriented design approach.

8. Name two activities of structured design.

9. Define software architecture.

10. Write the activities that are carried out during unit testing.

11. State the goal of system testing.

12. State the importance of integration testing.

13. Name the testing activities of system testing.

14. Write down the types of maintenance.

15. Give any two shortcomings of classical waterfall model.

16. State the main change brought about by the iterative waterfall model to the classical waterfall
model.

17. Give any two shortcomings of iterative waterfall model.

18. Write the situation where the use of prototyping model is advantageous.

19. Define a prototype.

20. Write one application of evolutionary model.

21. Name any two agile models.

22. State the approach used in agile development projects.

23. State the central principle of the agile model.

24. Write down any two practices recognized in the extreme programming model.

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25. Define a user story.

26. Name the types of projects where extreme programming model can be used.

27. State the project characteristics that indicate unsuitability of agile model.

28. Define sprints.

29. Write down the roles of team members in the scrum model.

30. Define a risk.

31. Name the software development life cycle model that supports risk handling.

32. Write the significance of the radius of the spiral in a spiral model.

33. Write the significance of the angular dimension in a spiral model.

34. Name any two desirable qualities of a software requirements specification document.

35. Write the types of requirements.

36. Name any two categories of users of a software requirements specification document.

37. Write the types of problems in requirements.

38. Define a data flow diagram.

39. Give the symbols used in a data flow diagram for external entity and process.

40. State the purpose of a data dictionary.

41. Name the diagram that represents the entire system as a single bubble in a data flow diagram
model.

42. Define the meaning of balancing a data flow diagram.

43. Write the name of the language used for documenting models.

44. Name any two CASE tools used for drawing UML notations.

45. Name the UML diagram used to represent users’ view of a system.

46. Name any two UML diagrams used to represent behavioral view of a system.

47. Define a use case.

48. Define a scenario of the use case.

49. Name the symbol used to represent an actor in a use case diagram.

50. Write the use of stereotyping in a UML diagram.

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51. Name the kinds of UML interaction diagrams.

52. Write the term used to represent parallel activities in an activity diagram.

53. Write any two basic elements of a state chart.

54. Name the diagram that shows the environmental view of a system.

55. Give the names of the relationships that represent part/whole relationship in a class diagram.