ISTQB Static Testing and Reviews 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: According to ISTQB, which of the following BEST describes the role of a 'scribe' in a formal review?
- The person who presents the work product to the review team
- The person who records defects, decisions, and action items during the review (Correct answer)
- The person who approves the work product for release after the review
- The person who selects which sections of the document to review
Correct answer: The person who records defects, decisions, and action items during the review
The scribe (also called recorder) documents all issues, decisions, and action items raised during the review meeting.
Question 2: Static testing applied to executable code (as opposed to source code documents) typically involves which of the following?
- Running unit tests against the compiled binary
- Analyzing bytecode or compiled output with static analysis tools (Correct answer)
- Using profilers to detect memory leaks at runtime
- Applying equivalence partitioning to identify test inputs
Correct answer: Analyzing bytecode or compiled output with static analysis tools
Static analysis can be applied to compiled code (bytecode, object code) using tools that analyze its structure without executing it.
Question 3: Why is it important to separate defect detection from defect discussion during a review meeting?
- To allow the author to fix defects before they are formally logged
- To avoid spending meeting time debating solutions rather than finding more defects (Correct answer)
- To ensure only the moderator can identify what counts as a defect
- To prevent reviewers from submitting more defects than the author can handle
Correct answer: To avoid spending meeting time debating solutions rather than finding more defects
Keeping defect detection and solution discussion separate ensures the meeting time is used efficiently to find defects rather than resolve them.
Question 4: A software team applies static testing to check that all variables are initialized before use. Which category of defect are they targeting?
- Requirements defects
- Interface defects
- Code defects detectable by static analysis (Correct answer)
- Performance defects
Correct answer: Code defects detectable by static analysis
Uninitialized variable usage is a classic code-level defect that static analysis tools can detect by analyzing data flow without execution.
Question 5: In which scenario would an informal review be MOST appropriate?
- Reviewing a safety-critical avionics software requirement
- Getting quick feedback from a colleague on a first draft of a test plan (Correct answer)
- Conducting a final pre-release audit of all system documentation
- Evaluating compliance of code with a mandatory coding standard
Correct answer: Getting quick feedback from a colleague on a first draft of a test plan
Informal reviews are lightweight and suitable for early, low-stakes feedback situations like reviewing a first draft with a colleague.
Question 6: Which of the following BEST explains why static testing is considered complementary to dynamic testing rather than a replacement?
- Static testing is only effective on requirements, while dynamic testing only applies to code
- Static testing finds defects in work products, but dynamic testing can reveal failures caused by the interaction of components at runtime (Correct answer)
- Static testing is more expensive and thus reserved for critical defects only
- Dynamic testing can be fully automated while static testing always requires human effort
Correct answer: Static testing finds defects in work products, but dynamic testing can reveal failures caused by the interaction of components at runtime
Static testing finds defects in artifacts early, but runtime interaction failures, timing issues, and environmental problems require dynamic testing to expose.
Question 7: What is the PRIMARY goal of the 'follow-up' activity in a formal review process?
- To plan the next review cycle for the same work product
- To verify that defects have been corrected and that exit criteria are satisfied (Correct answer)
- To assign new reviewers if the original team is unavailable
- To archive all review documentation for audit purposes
Correct answer: To verify that defects have been corrected and that exit criteria are satisfied
Follow-up ensures that identified defects were actually fixed and that the work product now meets the agreed exit criteria before progressing.
ISTQB Static Testing and Reviews 4
According to ISTQB, which of the following BEST describes the role of a 'scribe' in a formal review?