The IIT Madras BS Software Engineering (Software Engineering) Quiz 2 paper sat on 16 Aug 2026, in the May 2026 term: 27 questions for 100 marks in 120 minutes. Every question is below with its answer. Take it as a timed mock test to be marked, or read it through first.
A software company is developing a payroll system for 500 companies.
The analyst prepares a fixed list of 25 questions and verbally asks exactly the same questions to HR managers from every company.
Which requirement gathering technique is being used?
Unstructured interview
Semi-structured interview
Structured interview
Observation
Correct answer
Structured interview
Error
Fault
Failure
Test Case
Correct answer
Fault
A ride-sharing company has completed a sprint.
During a meeting, the team demonstrates the completed driver tracking feature to customers and receives feedback.
Which Scrum activity is being performed?
Sprint Planning
Daily Scrum
Sprint Review
Sprint Retrospective
Correct answer
Sprint Review
A team completed the following story points in the last four sprints:
What is the average velocity?
20
21
22
23
Correct answer
21
An e-commerce company maintains the following modules:
● Inventory Management ● Payment Processing ● Recommendation Engine
Each module is assigned a single, well-defined objective. All three modules directly access and modify the same global dictionary data structure that stores product information. Any change to the structure of this shared dictionary requires modifications in all three modules.
Which statement is true?
High cohesion and high coupling
High cohesion and low coupling
Low cohesion and high coupling
Low cohesion and low coupling
Correct answer
High cohesion and high coupling
A developer notices that a video editing application is slow. The team wants to identify:
● functions consuming maximum CPU ● memory hot spots ● performance bottlenecks
Which of the following debugging techniques should be used?
Logging
Profiling Tool
Stepping in debugger
Dump and Diff
Correct answer
Profiling Tool
Factory
Adapter
Facade
Builder
Correct answer
Facade
A company develops an Online Travel Booking System.
1. Travelers use the mobile app to search and book flights. 2. Travel agents inside the company update airline contracts and pricing. 3. A payment gateway processes customer transactions. 4. The airline reservation system exchanges seat availability data with the application.
Which option correctly identifies the client type for each case?
1-External User, 2-Internal User, 3-Software Client, 4-Software Client
1-Internal User, 2-External User, 3-Software Client, 4-Software Client
1-External User, 2-Software Client, 3-Internal User, 4-Software Client
1-Software Client, 2-Internal User, 3-External User, 4-Software Client
Correct answer
1-External User, 2-Internal User, 3-Software Client, 4-Software Client
A software company releases a new digital banking application to 100 selected customers. The customers use the application in real-world conditions and report usability issues.
Which testing phase is being performed?
Unit Testing
Integration Testing
Alpha Testing
Beta Testing
Correct answer
Beta Testing
Consider the following requirements for an online examination system:
Requirement 1: Students shall be able to submit answers online.
Requirement 2: The system shall process and save submissions within 2 seconds.
Which statement is true?
Both are functional requirements.
Requirement 1 is functional and Requirement 2 is non-functional.
Requirement 1 is non-functional and Requirement 2 is functional.
Both are non-functional requirements.
Correct answer
Requirement 1 is functional and Requirement 2 is non-functional.
Consider the user story as follow:
As a customer,
I want to track my food delivery,
So that I know when my order will arrive.
The story is refined as:
"...the delivery status must refresh every 15 seconds."
Which SMART property is improved?
Specific
Relevant
Measurable
Achievable
Correct answer
Measurable
A healthcare portal allows doctors to prescribe medicines and patients to book appointments. However, new users frequently struggle to discover how appointments can be cancelled because there is no guidance or tutorial.
Which usability goal is most affected?
Efficiency
Learnability
Safety
Memorability
Correct answer
Learnability
A UX designer creates clickable screens using Figma. Users can navigate between screens, enter sample data, and simulate workflows.
What type of prototype is this?
Storyboard
Paper Prototype
Interactive Prototype
Digital Mock-up
Correct answer
Interactive Prototype
An e-commerce website allows customers to browse products and compare prices without requiring login.
Which design heuristic is supported?
Freedom
Recognition over Recall
Consistency
Show Status
Correct answer
Freedom
Module A directly accesses and modifies the internal variables of Module B.
What type of coupling exists?
Data Coupling
Control Coupling
Common Coupling
Content Coupling
Correct answer
Content Coupling
Consider the Python function:
What is the cyclomatic complexity?
2
3
4
5
Correct answer
3
A compiler processes source code through the modules -- lexical analysis, parsing, semantic analysis, optimization, and code generation. The output of one module is used as input to the next module.
Which architecture style best matches this system?
MVC
Client-Server
Pipe-and-Filter
Peer-to-Peer
Correct answer
Pipe-and-Filter
even when many methods are irrelevant.
Which SOLID principle is violated?
Single Responsibility Principle
Open-Closed Principle
Interface Segregation Principle
Dependency Inversion Principle
Correct answer
Interface Segregation Principle
A large organization develops software using teams located in Chennai, Bangalore, and Delhi. Before implementation begins, interface specifications are finalized.
Which statements about interfaces are correct?
They specify permitted requests and outputs.
They reveal the complete implementation details.
They allow independent development of components.
Implementation can change without affecting dependent modules if the interface remains unchanged.
Correct answers
They specify permitted requests and outputs.
They allow independent development of components.
Implementation can change without affecting dependent modules if the interface remains unchanged.
A startup is developing an AI-based legal document analysis system. Since requirements are unclear, they build a prototype and show it to lawyers for feedback.
Which are advantages of using a prototype model?
Helps clarify user expectations.
Helps identify design issues early.
Guarantees zero defects in the final product.
Enables early requirement refinement.
Correct answers
Helps clarify user expectations.
Helps identify design issues early.
Enables early requirement refinement.
Consider the UML class diagram shown below.
Correct answers
A company depends on a third-party fraud detection service for validating online transactions.
There is a risk that defects in the third-party service may impact the application.
Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
What type of risk is described?
Business Risk
Technical Risk
Project Risk
It is not a risk.
Correct answer
Technical Risk
A company depends on a third-party fraud detection service for validating online transactions.
There is a risk that defects in the third-party service may impact the application.
Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
Which mitigation strategy is most suitable?
Conduct customer surveys
Benchmark and regularly inspect the external component
Explore the market
Reduce project scope
Correct answer
Benchmark and regularly inspect the external component
A company is developing an online furniture shopping platform. The requirements are well understood, the development team consists of highly experienced developers, and the estimated project size is 50 KLOC.
Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
Which COCOMO project category best describes the project?
Organic
Semi-detached
Embedded
Cannot be determined
Correct answer
Organic
A company is developing an online furniture shopping platform. The requirements are well understood, the development team consists of highly experienced developers, and the estimated project size is 50 KLOC.
Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
Using the Basic COCOMO model, what is the approximate initial effort for the project?
146 Person-Months
185 Person-Months
220 Person-Months
305 Person-Months
Correct answer
146 Person-Months
A university is developing an online examination portal. Before implementation, the development team prepares the following activity network.
Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
Which of the following statements are true?
UI Design and Database Design can proceed simultaneously.
Testing can begin immediately after Requirements Analysis.
Implementation depends on both UI Design and Database Design.
Deployment can start before Testing is completed.
Correct answers
UI Design and Database Design can proceed simultaneously.
Implementation depends on both UI Design and Database Design.
A university is developing an online examination portal. Before implementation, the development team prepares the following activity network.
Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
Which task must be completed immediately before Deployment?
UI Design
Database Design
Implementation
Testing
Correct answer
Testing
