ISyE 6644 - Summer 2026/2027 - Midterm Test 1 | with 34 Actual
Questions
A+
Complete Blueprint Coverage
A+ 4 100%
QUESTIONS VERIFIED EXAM DOMAINS COVERED RATIONALES INCLUDED
CATEGORIES
Fundamentals of Discrete-Event Simulation
Random Number Generation and Random Variates
Input Modeling and Output Analysis
Variance Reduction, Verification and Validation
STUVIAACTUALEXAM
, FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCRETE-EVENT SIMULATION
Q1
A simulation model of a single-server queue advances the clock only when an arrival or departure event occurs. Between
events the system state remains constant. Which modeling paradigm is being used?
A. Continuous-time differential-equation simulation
B. Discrete-event simulation with event-scheduling
C. Time-stepped Monte Carlo sampling at fixed intervals
D. Agent-based continuous interaction modeling
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: In discrete-event simulation the clock jumps from one event epoch to the next; the state is piecewise constant. Continuous or
fixed-step methods advance time differently and are not event-driven in the same sense.
Q2
In a simulation of a manufacturing cell the next-event calendar contains three future events: an arrival at t=12.4, a machine
failure at t=15.1, and a tool change at t=18.0. The current simulation time is 10.0. What is the next action the executive
routine should take?
A. Advance the clock to 18.0 and process the tool-change event first
B. Advance the clock to 12.4 and execute the arrival event logic
C. Sample a new random number before choosing any event
D. Process all three events simultaneously at the current time
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The event-scheduling algorithm always selects the imminent event (smallest future time). Here the arrival at 12.4 is next; the
clock advances to that epoch and the corresponding event routine is invoked.
Q3
A student builds a simulation in which the service-time distribution is hard-coded as a constant 5 minutes for every customer.
After reviewing the model, the instructor asks for a more realistic representation. Which change addresses the most
fundamental limitation?
A. Replace the constant with a random variate drawn from an appropriate probability distribution
B. Increase the constant service time to 10 minutes to add safety
C. Remove the service-time attribute entirely and advance the clock by fixed steps
D. Use the same constant but run the model for a longer horizon
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Real service times vary; using a probability distribution captures stochastic behavior. Simply changing the constant or the run
length does not introduce the necessary randomness.
Q4
In a discrete-event model of an airport security checkpoint the state variables include the number of passengers in each
queue and the status of each officer. An arrival event increases the queue length by one. Which statement best describes
the role of the state variables?
A. They are updated only at the end of the simulation run
B. They completely describe the system at any event epoch and determine future event logic
C. They are replaced by statistical counters and never examined by event routines
D. They must be continuous real numbers and cannot be integer-valued
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: State variables capture the essential configuration of the system after each event. Event routines read and update them to
decide which future events to schedule. They are examined throughout the run, not only at termination.