Exploratory Testing Exploratory Testing MCQ 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is a 'test charter' in exploratory testing?
- A formal test plan approved by management
- A brief statement defining the scope and goal of an exploration session (Correct answer)
- A log of defects found during testing
- A script listing every step a tester must execute
Correct answer: A brief statement defining the scope and goal of an exploration session
A test charter is a short directive that defines what to explore, how to explore it, and what information to gather during a time-boxed session.
Question 2: Which technique involves drawing diagrams to map out the structure and relationships of a system under test?
- Boundary value analysis
- Mind mapping (Correct answer)
- Equivalence partitioning
- State transition testing
Correct answer: Mind mapping
Mind mapping visually organizes ideas and system relationships, helping testers identify coverage areas during exploratory testing.
Question 3: During a session-based test management (SBTM) debrief, what is primarily reviewed?
- Code coverage metrics
- Session sheets, bugs found, and coverage achieved (Correct answer)
- Automated test results
- Regression test pass rates
Correct answer: Session sheets, bugs found, and coverage achieved
SBTM debriefs examine the session sheet to assess what was tested, what bugs were found, and what areas still need coverage.
Question 4: What does the 'E' in the SBTM metric 'B/T/E' represent?
- Errors per session
- Efficiency ratio
- Everything else (setup, learning, obstacles) (Correct answer)
- Execution count
Correct answer: Everything else (setup, learning, obstacles)
In the B/T/E breakdown, 'E' captures time spent on everything other than testing and bug investigation, such as setup, tool issues, or getting oriented.
Question 5: Which heuristic framework uses the mnemonic 'HICCUPPS' to guide exploratory testing?
- The Rapid Software Testing (RST) framework (Correct answer)
- The IEEE 829 standard
- The TMMi model
- The ISTQB advanced syllabus
Correct answer: The Rapid Software Testing (RST) framework
HICCUPPS (History, Image, Claims, Comparable products, User expectations, Product, Purpose, Standards) is a consistency oracle heuristic from the Rapid Software Testing framework.
Question 6: What is the primary risk of relying exclusively on exploratory testing without any scripted tests?
- It always finds fewer bugs than scripted testing
- Regression coverage may be inconsistent across releases (Correct answer)
- Exploratory testing cannot find usability issues
- It requires significantly more testers
Correct answer: Regression coverage may be inconsistent across releases
Without scripted regression tests, important previously-fixed areas may not be revisited consistently, leaving regression gaps between releases.
Question 7: A tester follows an unexpected error message and investigates its root cause instead of continuing the original test path. This behavior is called:
- Test derailment
- Reactive opportunism (Correct answer)
- Scope creep
- Defect seeding
Correct answer: Reactive opportunism
Reactive opportunism is the exploratory practice of pivoting to investigate an interesting or unexpected observation encountered during testing.
Exploratory Testing Exploratory Testing MCQ 2
What is a 'test charter' in exploratory testing?