CCDV-F Tools and MCP Integration Practice Test 3 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A developer is building an MCP client that connects to a remote MCP server over HTTP. After the initial handshake, the client needs to discover what prompts the server exposes so they can be surfaced in a slash-command menu. Which MCP capability should the client invoke?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

prompts/list. Prompt templates are a distinct MCP primitive from tools and resources, and they are enumerated with the prompts/list request. Because the goal is to build a slash-command menu of reusable prompts, the client must call prompts/list after the initialize handshake, then optionally fetch a specific prompt with prompts/get when the user selects it.

Answer

resources/list

Answer

tools/list

Answer

initialize

Question 2

A developer registers a tool named get_order_status with an input_schema that declares order_id as a string. During testing, Claude repeatedly emits tool_use blocks where order_id is the numeric value 10482 instead of a string. The downstream API rejects numeric IDs. Which change most reliably fixes this at the tool-definition layer?

Accepted Answer

Add a description to the order_id property stating it must be a string, and include a format or pattern hint in the schema.. Tool argument types are steered by the tool definition itself, so the durable fix is to make the expected type explicit through property descriptions and schema constraints. Describing order_id as a quoted string with a numeric pattern gives Claude the signal it needs, and validating the payload before calling the downstream API provides defense in depth.

Answer

Set the tool_choice parameter to force get_order_status on every turn.

Answer

Raise max_tokens so Claude has more room to format the argument correctly.

Answer

Change input_schema to declare order_id as an integer so the numeric output becomes valid.

Question 3

A developer is writing an MCP client that must stay responsive while a server performs a slow operation during a tool call. The client should allow the user to cancel the request without terminating the whole session, and the server should be able to stream incremental output before finishing. Which two MCP features should the developer implement? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Request cancellation using the notifications/cancelled notification with the in-flight request ID.. Long-running MCP operations are handled with progress notifications tied to a client-supplied progress token and with out-of-band cancellation via notifications/cancelled. Together they let a server report partial progress and let a client abort one request without disturbing the session, which is precisely the behavior the scenario demands.

Answer

Polling tools/list repeatedly to detect when the tool has finished executing.

Answer

Closing the transport and reinitializing the session to interrupt the operation.

Answer

Setting a long client-side timeout and retrying the same request until it succeeds.

Question 4

A developer is integrating a new MCP server that exposes a company's internal HR policy documents. The server implements the Resources capability. The developer wants Claude to access a specific policy document only when the user explicitly asks about it, rather than loading all documents into context upfront. Which MCP method should the developer use to retrieve the content of a single resource by its URI?

Accepted Answer

resources/read. The correct method is resources/read because it retrieves the content of a specific resource by URI, which matches the need to fetch a single HR policy document on demand. Other resource-related methods like list, subscribe, or templates/list provide metadata or notifications, not the actual document body. Using resources/read avoids preloading all documents into context and keeps the interaction efficient.

Answer

resources/list

Answer

resources/templates/list

Answer

resources/subscribe

Question 5

A developer is building a customer-support agent using the Anthropic API with the Claude 3.5 Sonnet model. The agent exposes a `lookup_order` tool that takes an `order_id` string. During testing, a user asks 'Where is my order 88213?' and Claude returns a `tool_use` block with `name: "lookup_order"` and `input: {"order_id": "88213"}`. What must the developer send back to Claude in the next API request so it can produce a natural-language answer?

Accepted Answer

A `user` message containing a `tool_result` content block whose `tool_use_id` matches the `tool_use` block and whose `content` holds the lookup result.. After Claude emits a `tool_use` block, the developer must return a user message containing a `tool_result` block that carries the same `tool_use_id`. This pairing is how the model links its request to the returned data. Once the matching result is provided, Claude can generate the final answer about the order. Any other message shape leaves the tool call unsatisfied and prevents a grounded response.

Answer

A new `system` message that contains the order details and instructs Claude to answer the user.

Answer

An `assistant` message that echoes the `tool_use` block and appends the lookup result inside the same block.

Answer

A `user` message containing the raw JSON result of the order lookup, with no `tool_use_id` reference.

Question 6

A team wants Claude to query their internal ticketing system through MCP. The operations are read-only lookups and the team wants the model to decide when a lookup is needed based on the conversation. Which MCP primitive is the appropriate choice?

Accepted Answer

MCP Tools exposed by the server.. Because Claude must decide on its own when to look up a ticket, the capability needs to be a callable action with a described schema, which is exactly what an MCP tool provides. Resources and prompts are not model-selected actions, and sampling reverses the request direction, so a tool is the correct primitive for this read-only lookup.

Answer

MCP Resources exposed by the server.

Answer

MCP Prompts exposed by the server.

Answer

MCP Sampling requests initiated by the server.

Question 7

A developer is hardening a remote MCP server that exposes a 'run_query' tool against a production analytics database. The server will be reachable over HTTP by multiple Claude clients. Which TWO practices are MOST important to prevent the tool from being abused? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Require authentication and authorization on the MCP server so only approved clients can invoke 'run_query', and scope the database credentials to read-only.. Hardening a remote MCP tool requires controls at the trust boundary and at the data layer. Authenticating clients and scoping database credentials to read-only limits who can invoke the tool and what it can do. Parameterizing and validating SQL ensures model-supplied arguments cannot alter query structure. Together these reduce the impact of prompt injection, hallucinated arguments, and unauthorized access to a production analytics database.

Answer

Embed the production database connection string in the tool description so Claude can decide when the query is safe to run.

Answer

Increase the 'max_tokens' value on every Claude request so the model has enough room to reason about query safety before calling the tool.

Answer

Return the full database error message, including schema names and stack traces, to Claude so it can self-correct failed queries.

Question 8

A developer is building a Claude-powered assistant that uses a tool called 'search_knowledge_base'. The tool definition includes a required parameter 'query' and an optional 'max_results' parameter. During testing, Claude sometimes calls the tool without providing 'max_results'. What should the developer do to ensure the tool call is handled correctly?

Accepted Answer

In the tool implementation, check if 'max_results' is present and apply a sensible default value if it is missing.. Because 'max_results' is optional, Claude may omit it. The tool implementation should check for its presence and apply a default value, ensuring the tool works correctly regardless. This approach maintains the intended flexibility of the tool definition and prevents runtime errors. Other options either incorrectly change the tool contract or rely on unreliable prompting.

Answer

Add a description to the tool definition instructing Claude to always include 'max_results' with a value of 10.

Answer

Change the tool to accept a single string parameter that combines the query and max_results, such as 'query|max_results'.

Answer

Make 'max_results' a required parameter in the tool definition so Claude must always provide it.

Question 9

A developer's MCP client sends a tools/call request for a tool that performs a database write. The tool result comes back with is_error set to true and a message about a unique-constraint violation. What is the most appropriate way for the client to handle this result?

Accepted Answer

Surface the error content to Claude as the tool result so it can reason about the failure and adjust its next action.. Tool errors are delivered in-band as a tool result with is_error set to true, and the accompanying content is meant to inform the next reasoning step. Returning that result to Claude preserves the conversation loop and lets the model adapt, which is the correct handling for a recoverable data-level failure such as a constraint violation.

Answer

Convert the tool result into a plain assistant text message and end the turn without invoking Claude again.

Answer

Terminate the MCP session and reconnect before retrying the tool call.

Answer

Discard the result and silently retry the identical tool call up to three times.

Question 10

A developer's MCP client launches a local stdio server that exposes a `query_metrics` tool. The server process writes diagnostic log lines to standard output while handling requests. Claude's tool calls intermittently fail with JSON parse errors on the client side. Which change best resolves this?

Accepted Answer

Configure the server to write all diagnostic logging to standard error instead of standard output.. The stdio transport dedicates standard output to JSON-RPC frames and standard error to diagnostics. When a server prints log lines to stdout, the client reads them as protocol data and fails to parse them, which matches the intermittent parse errors. Moving logging to stderr restores a clean protocol channel and lets the `query_metrics` tool calls complete normally without any transport redesign.

Answer

Wrap every log line in a JSON object so the client can skip non-protocol entries automatically.

Answer

Increase the client's request timeout so slow log writes do not corrupt the response stream.

Answer

Switch the server to HTTP with Server-Sent Events transport so logging no longer shares a channel with protocol data.

Question 11

A developer is adding a 'calculate_shipping' tool to an existing MCP server used by a Claude-based checkout assistant. The tool needs the destination country, package weight in kilograms, and an optional express flag. Which tool definition practice will MOST reliably let Claude call the tool correctly?

Accepted Answer

Define an input schema with typed properties for country, weight_kg, and express, mark the first two as required, and write a description that explains units and when to use the tool.. Tool definitions work best when the schema encodes structure and the description encodes intent. Typed properties for country, weight_kg, and express, with only the truly necessary fields required, give Claude an unambiguous contract. Documenting units and usage in the description helps the model choose the tool and format arguments correctly, which is the most reliable path to accurate invocations.

Answer

Omit the input schema entirely and rely on the tool name 'calculate_shipping' to imply the required arguments.

Answer

Set every property as required, including express, and instruct Claude to pass false when the user does not mention express shipping.

Answer

Accept a single free-form 'details' string and parse it inside the tool handler, since Claude writes natural language well.

Question 12

A developer is implementing an MCP client that connects to a remote MCP server over HTTP. The server requires authentication using an API key. The developer wants to ensure that all requests from the client include the API key in the headers. Which approach is correct for configuring the MCP client?

Accepted Answer

Set the API key in the 'Authorization' header when establishing the HTTP connection to the MCP server.. The correct approach is to set the API key in the 'Authorization' header of the HTTP connection. MCP over HTTP relies on standard HTTP authentication mechanisms, and headers are the appropriate place for credentials. Other methods either misuse query parameters, confuse client and server roles, or attempt to embed authentication in the JSON-RPC body, which is not standard.

Answer

Include the API key in the body of each MCP JSON-RPC request.

Answer

Pass the API key as an environment variable when starting the MCP server process.

Answer

Include the API key as a query parameter in the MCP server URL.

Question 13

A developer is defining a tool for Claude that fetches the current stock price for a ticker symbol. The tool will be called `get_stock_price`. Which `input_schema` definition best enables Claude to call the tool correctly?

Accepted Answer

A JSON Schema object with `type: "object"`, a `properties` entry for `ticker` of `type: "string"`, and a `required` array containing `"ticker"`.. Tool definitions should describe inputs as a JSON Schema object with named, typed properties and a `required` array. For a stock lookup, a required string `ticker` tells Claude exactly what to supply. Permissive schemas, non-object root types, or missing required/description fields all degrade the model's ability to produce correct tool call arguments, so the fully specified object schema is the right choice.

Answer

A JSON Schema object with `type: "object"` and a free-form `additionalProperties: true` allowing any fields.

Answer

A JSON Schema object with `type: "object"` and a `properties` entry for `ticker`, but no `required` array and no `description`.

Answer

A JSON Schema object with `type: "string"` and a `description` explaining that the value should be a ticker symbol.

Question 14

A developer is creating an MCP server that exposes a tool to query a PostgreSQL database. The tool definition includes a parameter 'sql_query' that accepts a raw SQL string. During a security review, it was flagged that this design could allow SQL injection if Claude generates malicious SQL. Which change should the developer make to mitigate this risk?

Accepted Answer

Replace the raw SQL parameter with structured parameters such as table name, columns, and filters, and construct the SQL query internally using parameterized statements.. The best mitigation is to replace raw SQL with structured parameters and construct queries internally using parameterized statements. This eliminates the injection vector by design. Other options either rely on unreliable prompting, weak validation, or partial mitigation that does not address the core vulnerability. Structured parameters also improve usability and safety.

Answer

Limit the database user's permissions to read-only, so even if malicious SQL is executed, it cannot modify data.

Answer

Add a description to the tool instructing Claude to never generate malicious SQL.

Answer

Validate the 'sql_query' parameter by checking that it only contains SELECT statements and no semicolons.

Question 15

A developer is building an MCP server that exposes several tools for managing a cloud infrastructure. The server will be used by multiple Claude clients. The developer wants to ensure that tool calls are handled efficiently and that the server can scale. Which two practices should the developer implement? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Design tools to be idempotent where possible, so that repeated calls with the same parameters produce the same result.. The two best practices are statelessness and idempotency. Statelessness allows any server instance to handle any request, enabling horizontal scaling. Idempotency ensures that retries are safe, which is important for reliable infrastructure operations. Together, they improve efficiency and scalability. Other options like caching, global locking, or in-memory session state either introduce complexity or hinder scalability.

Answer

Cache the results of expensive tool calls on the server side and return cached responses for identical requests.

Answer

Use a single global lock to serialize all tool calls, preventing concurrent execution.

Answer

Store session state in memory on each server instance to track client interactions.