Software Testing Software Testing Defect Management & Lifecycle 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is defect clustering in software testing?
- Grouping similar defects for batch resolution
- The tendency for most defects to concentrate in a small number of modules (Correct answer)
- Organizing defects by the team that caused them
- Grouping defects by severity level
Correct answer: The tendency for most defects to concentrate in a small number of modules
Defect clustering (an application of Pareto's principle) observes that roughly 80% of defects are typically found in about 20% of the modules.
Question 2: What does 'defect leakage' refer to?
- Defects introduced by fixing other defects
- Defects that escape testing and reach production (Correct answer)
- Defects that leak between test environments
- Defects in data security controls
Correct answer: Defects that escape testing and reach production
Defect leakage measures the number of defects found by end users in production that should have been caught during testing.
Question 3: Which term describes a defect introduced while fixing another defect?
- Latent defect
- Secondary defect
- Regression defect (Correct answer)
- Masked defect
Correct answer: Regression defect
A regression defect (or regression) is introduced when a code change — including a bug fix — unintentionally breaks previously working functionality.
Question 4: What information is essential in a well-written defect report?
- Tester's personal opinion and the fix suggestion
- Steps to reproduce, expected result, actual result, and environment details (Correct answer)
- The full source code of the affected module
- Only the defect ID and title
Correct answer: Steps to reproduce, expected result, actual result, and environment details
A complete defect report includes clear reproduction steps, the expected vs. actual behavior, severity, priority, and the environment in which it was observed.
Question 5: In defect management, what does 'root cause analysis' aim to achieve?
- Assign blame to a developer
- Identify the underlying process or code issue that caused the defect (Correct answer)
- Calculate the cost of the defect
- Determine which tester missed the defect
Correct answer: Identify the underlying process or code issue that caused the defect
Root cause analysis investigates the underlying reason a defect was introduced to enable process improvements that prevent similar defects in the future.
Question 6: What is a 'duplicate' defect status?
- A defect reported in two different environments
- A defect already reported by someone else in the system (Correct answer)
- A defect that occurs twice in the same test run
- A defect affecting two separate modules
Correct answer: A defect already reported by someone else in the system
A defect is marked 'Duplicate' when it has already been logged in the tracking system, and the new report is closed in favor of the original.
Software Testing Software Testing Defect Management & Lifecycle 2
What is defect clustering in software testing?