Exploratory Testing Bug Hunting Techniques 2

Question 1

What is the 'money tour' in James Whittaker's exploratory testing tour metaphor?

Accepted Answer

Testing the features most prominently advertised and demonstrated to customers

Answer

The money tour explores the features highlighted in the product's marketing materials and demos — these are what customers expect to work flawlessly.

Question 2

What exploratory testing technique involves inputting unexpected or malformed data to find how the system handles errors?

Accepted Answer

Negative testing

Answer

Negative testing deliberately provides invalid, unexpected, or malformed input to verify the system handles errors gracefully without crashing or exposing sensitive information.

Question 3

What is 'pairing' as a bug hunting enhancement technique in exploratory testing?

Accepted Answer

Two testers exploring the same area simultaneously, sharing observations to find more defects than either would alone

Answer

Pair testing combines two testers' perspectives, knowledge, and instincts to surface defects that a single tester might miss due to cognitive blind spots.

Question 4

What is the 'saboteur tour' in Whittaker's testing tour framework?

Accepted Answer

Testing the application with the intent to make it fail, using the worst possible inputs and usage patterns

Answer

The saboteur tour challenges the application by doing everything wrong — bad data, wrong sequences, extreme values — to find defects in error handling and robustness.

Question 5

What role does 'note-taking' play during an exploratory bug hunting session?

Accepted Answer

It captures test ideas, observations, and findings in real time so nothing is forgotten and the session can be reconstructed

Answer

Real-time note-taking ensures observations, ideas, and potential bugs are recorded as they occur, making the session reproducible and the tester's reasoning traceable.

Exploratory Testing Practice Test

Exploratory Testing Practice Test

Exploratory Testing Bug Hunting Techniques 2