JNTU MCA 2022 SOFTWARE TESTING METHODOLOGIES Previous Question Paper (September/October - 2022 - R15)

Dichotomies in software testing represent the fundamental binary classifications used to categorize testing activities. These help in understanding the scope and intent of different testing strategies:

• Testing vs. Debugging: Testing is the process of executing a program with the intent of finding errors, whereas debugging is the diagnostic process of locating and fixing the cause of a known error.
• Function vs. Structure: Functional testing (black-box) focuses on verifying the software against requirements without knowledge of internal code, while structural testing (white-box) focuses on the internal logic, paths, and implementation details.
• Designer vs. Tester: The designer creates the software, often having a bias toward their own logic, whereas the tester acts as an independent entity focused on breaking the software to reveal hidden defects.
• Modularity vs. System: Unit testing verifies individual components in isolation, while system testing evaluates the integrated software product as a whole to ensure it meets end-to-end requirements.
• Static vs. Dynamic: Static testing involves analyzing code or documentation without execution (e.g., reviews, inspections), while dynamic testing requires executing the software with test cases.

Path testing is a structural testing technique that aims to execute all independent paths within a program's control flow graph at least once. It ensures that every branch and decision point is exercised, providing high coverage of the program's logic.

The roles of path expressions and path predicates are as follows:

• Path Expression: This is an algebraic representation of the control flow of a program. It uses operators (such as concatenation for sequences, addition for branches, and closure for loops) to denote all possible paths from the entry to the exit of a routine. It helps testers identify the total number of paths and select a subset that provides sufficient coverage.
• Path Predicates: These are the logical conditions associated with each decision point along a path. A path is only executable if the conjunction of all predicates along that path is satisfiable. Path predicates are used to determine the specific input values required to traverse a chosen path, effectively bridging the gap between abstract path selection and concrete test case generation.