Software Engineering Final Exam questions
and answers 2025/2026 latest update
1.What are the three different types of software maintenance? - answerFault Repairs, Environmental
adaptation, Functionality Addition
2.It is usually more expensive to add functionality after a system is in operation than it is to implement
the same functionality during development, what are the four reasons for this? - answerTeam Stability,
Poor Development practice, Staff Skills, Program age and structure
3.To evaluate the relationships between a system and its environment you should assess what three
things? - answerThe number and complexity of system interfaces, The number of inherently volatile
system requirements, The business processes in which the system is used
4.Please explain the two important benefits from reengineering rather than replacement. -
answerReduced Risk-There is a high risk in redeveloping business-critical software. Errors may be made
in the system specification or there may be development problems. Delays in introducing the new
software may mean that business is lost and extra costs are incurred.
Reduced Cost-The cost of reengineering may be significantly less than the cost of developing new
software.
5.How can you re-factor duplicate code? - answerThis can be removed and implemented as a single
method or function that is called as required
6.How can you re-factor long methods? - answerIt should be redesigned as a number of shorter
methods
7. In object oriented languages how can you re-factor the switch or case statements? - answerUse
polymorphism
8. How can you re-factor data clumping? - answerreplace with an object encapsulating all of the data
9. How can you re-factor speculative generality? - answerRemove it
, 10. What are four strategic options for legacy system maintenance? - answerScrap the system
completely, Leave the system unchanged and continue with regular maintenance, Reengineer the
system to improve its maintainability, Replace all or part of the system with the new system
11. To assess the business value of the system, one has to identify system stakeholders, such as end
users of the system and new managers, and ask what four series of questions about the system? -
answerThe use of the system, The business processes that are supported, The system dependability, The
system outputs
12. What are the three pieces of data that may be useful in quality assessment? - answerThe number of
system change requests, The number of user interfaces, The volume of data used by the system
13. Systems that include software fall into what two categories? - answerTechnical computer based
systems, Sociotechnical systems
14. Please explain the three organizational factors from the systems environment that may affect the
requirements, design, and operation of a sociotechnical system. - answerProcess Changes-The system
may require changes to the work of processes in the environment Result in loss of jobs or additional
training
Job Changes-New systems may de skill the users in an environment or cause them to change the way
they work. Users may resist change or it will be resented by management because their status is
reduced by system
Organizational changes-the system may change the political power structure in an organization. People
who have control access have high political power
15. Please explain the two types of emergent properties? - answerFunctional emergent properties when
the purpose of the system only emerges after its components are intergraded.
Non-Functional emergent properties, which relate to the behavior of the system in its operational
environment
16. In a socio-technical system, you need to consider reliability from what three perspectives? -
answerHardware reliability, Software reliability, Operator reliability
and answers 2025/2026 latest update
1.What are the three different types of software maintenance? - answerFault Repairs, Environmental
adaptation, Functionality Addition
2.It is usually more expensive to add functionality after a system is in operation than it is to implement
the same functionality during development, what are the four reasons for this? - answerTeam Stability,
Poor Development practice, Staff Skills, Program age and structure
3.To evaluate the relationships between a system and its environment you should assess what three
things? - answerThe number and complexity of system interfaces, The number of inherently volatile
system requirements, The business processes in which the system is used
4.Please explain the two important benefits from reengineering rather than replacement. -
answerReduced Risk-There is a high risk in redeveloping business-critical software. Errors may be made
in the system specification or there may be development problems. Delays in introducing the new
software may mean that business is lost and extra costs are incurred.
Reduced Cost-The cost of reengineering may be significantly less than the cost of developing new
software.
5.How can you re-factor duplicate code? - answerThis can be removed and implemented as a single
method or function that is called as required
6.How can you re-factor long methods? - answerIt should be redesigned as a number of shorter
methods
7. In object oriented languages how can you re-factor the switch or case statements? - answerUse
polymorphism
8. How can you re-factor data clumping? - answerreplace with an object encapsulating all of the data
9. How can you re-factor speculative generality? - answerRemove it
, 10. What are four strategic options for legacy system maintenance? - answerScrap the system
completely, Leave the system unchanged and continue with regular maintenance, Reengineer the
system to improve its maintainability, Replace all or part of the system with the new system
11. To assess the business value of the system, one has to identify system stakeholders, such as end
users of the system and new managers, and ask what four series of questions about the system? -
answerThe use of the system, The business processes that are supported, The system dependability, The
system outputs
12. What are the three pieces of data that may be useful in quality assessment? - answerThe number of
system change requests, The number of user interfaces, The volume of data used by the system
13. Systems that include software fall into what two categories? - answerTechnical computer based
systems, Sociotechnical systems
14. Please explain the three organizational factors from the systems environment that may affect the
requirements, design, and operation of a sociotechnical system. - answerProcess Changes-The system
may require changes to the work of processes in the environment Result in loss of jobs or additional
training
Job Changes-New systems may de skill the users in an environment or cause them to change the way
they work. Users may resist change or it will be resented by management because their status is
reduced by system
Organizational changes-the system may change the political power structure in an organization. People
who have control access have high political power
15. Please explain the two types of emergent properties? - answerFunctional emergent properties when
the purpose of the system only emerges after its components are intergraded.
Non-Functional emergent properties, which relate to the behavior of the system in its operational
environment
16. In a socio-technical system, you need to consider reliability from what three perspectives? -
answerHardware reliability, Software reliability, Operator reliability
