FC0-U71 Software Development Concepts — 40 Questions

Question 1

A developer is debugging a program that produces incorrect output. The developer sets a breakpoint on a specific line of code and runs the program in a debugger. When execution stops at the breakpoint, the developer examines the values of variables at that point. What debugging technique is being used?

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

Accepted Answer

Step-through execution. Setting a breakpoint and examining variable values when execution pauses is the definition of step-through execution (also called breakpoint debugging), where the developer controls execution flow and inspects state at specific points. This interactive technique is distinct from passive methods like logging or static review.

Answer

Logging

Answer

Unit testing

Answer

Code review

Question 2

A software team is adopting agile practices. They want to ensure they incorporate feedback early and often. Which TWO of the following are key events in the Scrum framework that provide opportunities for feedback and inspection?

Accepted Answer

Sprint retrospective. The Sprint retrospective (A) is a key Scrum event held at the end of each Sprint where the team inspects its own processes and practices and identifies improvements, providing direct feedback on how the team works. The Sprint review (B) is also a key Scrum event where the team demonstrates the Increment to stakeholders and collects feedback on the product, enabling inspection and adaptation of the Product Backlog. Both are formally defined Scrum events specifically designed for inspection and adaptation. The daily scrum (C) is a short daily synchronization event for the Developers, not primarily a stakeholder feedback opportunity. Product backlog grooming (D) is a refinement activity, not one of the official Scrum events. Sprint planning (E) is a Scrum event, but it focuses on defining the Sprint Goal and selecting work, not on gathering feedback from completed work.

Answer

Daily scrum

Answer

Product backlog grooming

Answer

Sprint planning

Question 3

A development team is working on a critical update to an e-commerce website. After deploying the update, they must ensure that existing features (like login and search) still work correctly. Additionally, they want to test the new checkout flow end-to-end. Which TWO types of testing should the team perform?

Accepted Answer

Regression testing. Regression testing (C) is correct because it verifies that existing features like login and search still work after deploying the update, ensuring no new defects were introduced. System testing (D) is correct because it validates the entire integrated system, including the new checkout flow end-to-end, against the specified requirements.

Answer

Unit testing

Answer

Integration testing

Answer

User acceptance testing

Question 4

A software testing team is planning to verify a new e-commerce application. Which THREE testing types should be performed to ensure comprehensive quality? (Select the three correct answers.)

Accepted Answer

Integration testing. Integration testing (B) is correct because it verifies that the individually developed modules and interfaces of the e-commerce application communicate and exchange data correctly (e.g., checkout service calling the payment gateway API), which is essential for a multi-component system. Unit testing (C) is correct because it validates the smallest testable pieces of code, such as individual functions or classes, in isolation, catching defects early before they propagate into higher-level testing. System testing (E) is correct because it evaluates the fully integrated application end-to-end against its specified requirements, covering complete business flows like browsing, cart, checkout, and order confirmation in a production-like environment. Smoke testing (A) is not among the marked answers because it is a shallow build-verification technique rather than one of the three comprehensive quality-assurance levels, and alpha testing (D) is not marked because it is a user-acceptance activity performed by internal users at the developer's site, not a core functional testing type for verifying the application's quality.

Answer

Smoke testing

Answer

Alpha testing

Question 5

A software development team follows a methodology where work is divided into fixed sequential phases: requirements, design, implementation, testing, deployment, and maintenance. Changes to requirements are difficult once a phase is completed. Which development methodology is being used?

Accepted Answer

Waterfall. The Waterfall model is a linear sequential software development methodology where each phase (requirements, design, implementation, testing, deployment, maintenance) must be completed before the next begins. This rigidity makes it difficult to accommodate changes to requirements once a phase is finished, exactly as described in the question.

Answer

Spiral

Answer

Scrum

Answer

Agile

Question 6

A product manager creates a list of user stories for a new feature. The development team estimates effort for each story and selects a set to complete in a two-week iteration. Daily standup meetings are held to discuss progress. At the end of the iteration, the team demonstrates working software to stakeholders. Which development framework is being used?

Accepted Answer

Scrum. The described practices — user stories, effort estimation, time-boxed two-week iterations (sprints), daily standups, and end-of-iteration demos — are the defining ceremonies of Scrum. Scrum is an Agile framework built around short, repeatable cycles that deliver working software incrementally. The explicit mention of a two-week iteration and daily standup maps directly to the Sprint and Daily Scrum events.

Answer

Waterfall

Answer

V-Model

Answer

Kanban

Question 7

A developer writes a set of instructions to sort an array of numbers in ascending order. The instructions include steps like 'compare first two numbers, swap if out of order, move to next pair, repeat until no swaps are needed.' This step-by-step procedure is known as a(n):

Accepted Answer

Algorithm. An algorithm is a finite, ordered set of steps that solves a specific problem — here, sorting an array via repeated comparisons and swaps (a bubble sort). The description explicitly gives a step-by-step procedure with a termination condition ('repeat until no swaps are needed'), which is the definition of an algorithm. It is the conceptual procedure, independent of any specific programming language.

Answer

Pseudocode

Answer

Flowchart

Answer

Data structure

Question 8

A developer needs to represent the logic of a program that decides whether a user is eligible for a discount. The process includes conditions (e.g., 'is member?') and actions (e.g., 'apply 10% discount'). Which tool would best visually represent this logic using standardized symbols like diamonds for decisions and rectangles for processes?

Accepted Answer

Flowchart. A flowchart uses standardized symbols—diamonds for decisions, rectangles for processes, parallelograms for input/output, and ovals for start/end—to visually represent program logic and control flow. It is the canonical tool for depicting conditional branching such as eligibility checks and resulting actions.

Answer

Pseudocode

Answer

Data flow diagram

Answer

UML class diagram

Question 9

A developer needs to store a collection of student names and their corresponding grades. The data should be accessed quickly by student name. Which data structure is most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

Dictionary. A dictionary (also known as a hash map or associative array) stores key-value pairs, allowing O(1) average-time lookups by key. Since the developer needs to access grades quickly by student name, the dictionary's hashing mechanism directly maps each name to its corresponding grade, making it the most appropriate choice.

Answer

Array

Answer

Queue

Answer

Stack

Question 10

A software tester writes tests to verify that individual functions in a module return correct results when given specific inputs. These tests are isolated from other parts of the system. Which type of testing is being performed?

Accepted Answer

Unit testing. Unit testing is the correct answer because it involves testing individual functions or methods in isolation to verify they return correct outputs for specific inputs. This aligns directly with the scenario where the tester is focusing on single modules without dependencies on other system parts, which is the core definition of unit testing in software development.

Answer

Integration testing

Answer

User acceptance testing

Answer

System testing

Question 11

After deploying a new version of a web application, the QA team runs a set of test cases that were previously executed on the old version to ensure that existing functionality still works correctly. This testing is performed to detect any unintended side effects of the changes. What type of testing is this?

Accepted Answer

Regression testing. Regression testing verifies that new code changes do not break existing functionality.

Answer

Integration testing

Answer

Smoke testing

Answer

Acceptance testing

Question 12

A project team is in the phase where they gather business requirements, define project scope, and create a project plan. This phase occurs before any design or coding begins. Which SDLC phase is being described?

Accepted Answer

Planning. (Planning) is correct because the SDLC Planning phase is specifically where business requirements are gathered, project scope is defined, and a project plan is created before any design or coding begins. This phase establishes the high-level goals, feasibility, and resource allocation that drive all subsequent phases.

Answer

Implementation

Answer

Analysis

Answer

Design

Question 13

A developer creates a new branch in a version control system to work on a new feature. After completing the feature, the developer wants to combine the changes from the feature branch back into the main branch. What is this process called?

Accepted Answer

Merging. Merging is the process of combining changes from one branch into another — here, taking the completed feature branch and integrating its commits into the main branch. Git performs this via git merge, which either fast-forwards or creates a merge commit.

Answer

Committing

Answer

Forking

Answer

Branching

Question 14

A mobile app developer wants to integrate weather data into an app. The developer uses an HTTP request to a web service that returns JSON data. The web service requires an API key in the request header for authentication. What is this web service an example of?

Accepted Answer

REST API. This web service is a REST API because it uses HTTP requests to access and manipulate resources, returns data in JSON format, and requires an API key in the request header for authentication. REST APIs are stateless and rely on standard HTTP methods (GET, POST, etc.), making them ideal for integrating external data like weather information into mobile apps.

Answer

GraphQL API

Answer

WebSocket

Answer

SOAP API

Question 15

In a Scrum team, who is responsible for prioritizing the product backlog and ensuring that the team works on the most valuable features first?

Accepted Answer

Product Owner. The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team. This includes owning the Product Backlog, ordering its items to best achieve goals and missions, and ensuring that the Development Team works on the most valuable features first. The Product Owner is the single point of contact for prioritization decisions, balancing stakeholder needs with business value.

Answer

Scrum Master

Answer

Development Team

Answer

Stakeholder

Question 16

A software development team is adopting agile practices. Which TWO of the following are common characteristics of agile methodologies? (Select TWO.)

Accepted Answer

Iterative development with short cycles. Option B is correct because agile methodologies, such as Scrum and Extreme Programming, deliver work in short, repeating iterations (typically 1–4 week sprints) that produce a potentially shippable increment each cycle, rather than progressing through one long sequential pass. Option C is correct because it reflects one of the four values in the Agile Manifesto, which explicitly states a preference for 'responding to change over following a plan,' allowing teams to adapt scope and priorities as requirements evolve. Option A is incorrect because sequential phases (requirements→design→implementation) describe the waterfall model, which agile explicitly contrasts with its iterative and incremental approach. Option D is incorrect because agile embraces emergent and evolving scope rather than fixing the full scope at the start, which is characteristic of plan-driven/waterfall contracts. Option E is incorrect because agile values 'working software over comprehensive documentation,' favoring lightweight, just-enough documentation over exhaustive artifacts at each phase.

Answer

Sequential phases (requirements→design→implementation)

Answer

Fixed scope defined at the start

Answer

Comprehensive documentation at each phase

Question 17

A developer is writing pseudocode for a program that calculates the average of a list of numbers. Which THREE of the following are valid components that would likely appear in the pseudocode? (Select THREE.)

Accepted Answer

Initialize sum to 0. Initializing a variable (like sum) to a starting value (0) is a fundamental step in accumulation algorithms. Without this initialization, the sum would contain an undefined or garbage value, leading to incorrect results. This is a standard practice in pseudocode and real programming languages alike.

Answer

Define a class named Calculator

Answer

Execute SQL query to retrieve numbers from database

Question 18

During the SDLC, testing is performed at different levels. Which TWO of the following are recognized levels of testing? (Select TWO.)

Accepted Answer

Integration testing. Integration testing (C) is a recognized level of testing in the SDLC, sitting between unit and system testing, where individual modules are combined and tested as a group to verify interfaces and interactions between components. Unit testing (D) is also a recognized level, focusing on verifying the smallest testable parts of an application, such as individual functions or methods, in isolation. These two are standard levels in the classic testing hierarchy (unit, integration, system, acceptance). Maintenance (A) is an SDLC phase that follows deployment, not a testing level. Code review (B) is a static verification technique or peer-review activity, not a defined test level. Deployment (E) is a release/implementation phase, not a testing level.

Answer

Maintenance

Answer

Code review

Answer

Deployment

Question 19

A development team is building a new mobile app. The project has a fixed budget and scope, and the requirements are well-understood from the start. Which software development methodology would be most appropriate for this project?

Accepted Answer

Waterfall. Waterfall is most appropriate when requirements are well-understood, scope is fixed, and the budget is fixed — exactly the conditions described. Its sequential phases (requirements, design, implementation, testing, deployment) suit projects where change is minimal and predictability is valued.

Answer

Spiral

Answer

Scrum

Answer

Agile

Question 20

A developer writes the following pseudocode for a process that finds the largest number in a list:

SET max = first element
FOR each number in list
   IF number > max THEN
      SET max = number
   END IF
ENDFOR
OUTPUT max

What programming concept does this pseudocode represent?

Accepted Answer

Algorithm. The pseudocode describes a step-by-step procedure for solving a problem — finding the maximum value in a list — which is the definition of an algorithm. It specifies a finite sequence of operations (initialize max, iterate, compare, update) that transforms input into output. This is a classic linear-search maximum algorithm with O(n) time complexity.

Answer

API

Answer

Data structure

Answer

Flowchart