ASEP Architectural Design 3

Question 1

In systems architecture, what does 'separation of concerns' primarily achieve?

Accepted Answer

Isolation of distinct functional responsibilities into independent components

Answer

Separation of concerns divides a system into distinct sections, each addressing a separate concern, which improves modularity and maintainability.

Question 2

Which architectural trade-off is most directly addressed by selecting between centralized and distributed processing architectures?

Accepted Answer

Performance vs. fault tolerance

Answer

Centralized architectures often offer better raw performance but create single points of failure, while distributed architectures improve fault tolerance at the cost of complexity and potential latency.

Question 3

What is the purpose of an Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM) evaluation?

Accepted Answer

To evaluate how well an architecture satisfies quality attribute goals and identify sensitivity points

Answer

ATAM evaluates an architecture against quality attribute scenarios to identify risks, sensitivity points, and tradeoffs before detailed design begins.

Question 4

Which concept describes the practice of hiding internal implementation details of a component behind a well-defined interface?

Accepted Answer

Encapsulation

Answer

Encapsulation hides internal implementation details behind an interface, allowing components to change internally without affecting other parts of the system.

Question 5

When decomposing a system architecture, which criterion is most important for defining subsystem boundaries?

Accepted Answer

Minimizing coupling between subsystems while maximizing internal cohesion

Answer

Good decomposition minimizes coupling (dependencies between subsystems) while maximizing cohesion (relatedness within each subsystem), producing maintainable and testable units.

ASEP - Associate Systems Engineering Professional Practice Test

ASEP - Associate Systems Engineering Professional Practice Test

ASEP Architectural Design 3