CSE403 (Autumn 1999)
Quiz #1
September 30, 1999

 

 

This is the first of five quizzes in CSE403 this quarter.  The intent is to allow you to convey that you've learned the material covered in lectures and in the readings.  Remember, this is the only part of the course in which your individual knowledge is assessed; everything else is related directly to the group project.  As another reminder, your top three quizzes will be valued at 100% of the grade, and your lowest two quizzes at 50% of their value.

 

This quiz will be handed out 20 minutes before the end of the section; the instructor will leave when the section is over, and it is strongly recommended that you turn the quiz in before then.  The quiz consists of 40 total points.  The quizzes are closed book, closed notes, closed neighbors.

 

1)      True or false with a one sentence justification: 15 total points; for each question, the true/false is worth 2 points and the justification is worth 3 points.

a)      True or false:  For very large software systems, the programming language used is the most important factor in determining if the project will succeed.




b)      True or false:  The later in the software lifecycle that a bug is found, the more costly it is to fix it.





c)      True or false:  Software testing tends to be a relatively small cost in the overall software lifecycle.





2)       Short answers: 25 points total

a)      Concisely list one reason why engineering large software systems tends to be hard.




b)      Over the lifetime of a software project, what aspect—requirements specification, design, implementation, testing, maintenance, or something else—tends to account for the biggest costs? 



c)      Concisely list one reason why it is often extremely valuable to work closely with users during the requirements definition phase of a software project.



d)      Concisely list two specific constraints that you face in building the project in CSE403 this quarter. 



e)      Concisely list two specific examples of where the Windows NT  development group used approaches intended to reduce their risks.