JAWAHARLAL NEHRU TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY HYDERABAD B.Tech III SOFTWARE TESTING METHODOLOGIES Previous Question Paper (August/September - 2021 - R18)

Dichotomies in software testing represent the fundamental trade-offs and opposing perspectives that guide testing strategies. The primary dichotomies include:

• Testing vs. Debugging: Testing is the process of establishing the existence of bugs by executing the software with the intent to find errors, whereas debugging is the diagnostic process of locating, analyzing, and fixing those identified errors.
• Functionality vs. Structural Testing: Functionality (Black-box) testing focuses on whether the software performs its intended tasks according to requirements without regard to internal code. Structural (White-box) testing focuses on the internal logic, paths, and implementation details of the code.
• Designer vs. Tester: This dichotomy highlights the conflict of interest where the designer aims to prove the correctness of their work, while the tester aims to find flaws. Independent testing is generally more effective as it avoids the designer's inherent bias.
• Random vs. Systematic Testing: Random testing involves executing inputs without a specific pattern to uncover unexpected behaviors, while systematic testing follows a structured approach based on test cases, coverage criteria, and requirements.

The bug life cycle describes the various states a defect passes through from discovery to closure. The typical stages are:

• New: When a tester finds a bug and logs it for the first time.
• Assigned: The bug is reviewed by the lead or manager and assigned to a specific developer.
• Open: The developer begins analyzing and working on the bug fix.
• Fixed: The developer has implemented the code change and marked the bug as resolved.
• Pending Retest: The bug is ready for the tester to verify the fix.
• Retesting: The tester executes the test case again to ensure the bug is no longer reproducible.
• Verified/Closed: If the fix is successful, the bug is marked as closed. If the bug persists, it is marked as Reopened and sent back to the developer.
• Rejected/Deferred: A bug may be rejected if it is not a valid defect or deferred if it is not scheduled for the current release.