Evaluate an Application Design and Implementation Considering Maintainability 350-901 Practice Questions (Page 3)

Questions 11–15

1. 11application · medium

   A junior developer has written a Python script that automates VLAN creation. The script is a single block of 300 lines with no functions, uses global variables, and has a complex nested if-else structure. The script works, but the team is concerned about maintainability. Which change would most improve the script's maintainability?

   • AConvert the nested if-else into a single large if-elif-else chain.
   • BUse a code obfuscator to make the script shorter.
   • CBreak the script into small, focused functions that each perform a single logical step, and pass data via parameters and return values.
   • DAdd more global variables to make the data flow more explicit.
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2. 12foundation · easy

   What is technical debt in software development?

   • AThe implied cost of additional rework caused by choosing an easy solution now instead of a better approach that would take longer
   • BThe time spent fixing bugs after release
   • CThe monetary cost of purchasing software licenses
   • DThe number of lines of code in a project
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4. 13expert · hard

   A team is refactoring a critical network provisioning module. The module has a 40% unit test coverage, and the untested code paths include error handling for network timeouts. The team has a strict deadline to add a new feature. The lead engineer proposes refactoring the error handling to use a common retry utility. What is the most important consideration before proceeding?

   • ASkip the refactoring and add the new feature directly to the existing code.
   • BProceed with the refactoring immediately because the new feature is more important than the refactoring.
   • CRefactor the error handling and the new feature in the same commit to save time.
   • DAdd integration tests that simulate network timeouts to cover the untested error paths before refactoring.
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5. 14foundation · easy

   When prioritizing technical debt, which factor should be considered most important?

   • AThe impact on future development speed and the risk of defects
   • BThe age of the code
   • CThe personal preference of the developer who wrote the code
   • DThe number of lines of code that would need to be rewritten
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6. 15application · medium

   A developer is refactoring a legacy function that calculates interface utilization. The function is 200 lines long, contains nested conditionals, and has a single return statement at the end. The team has a comprehensive suite of unit tests that cover all branches. The developer wants to extract several smaller helper functions to improve readability. What is the most important safeguard to ensure the refactoring does not introduce regressions?

   • ARun the existing unit tests after each extraction to verify behavior is unchanged.
   • BRemove the unit tests because they are too granular and will slow down the refactoring process.
   • CRewrite the function from scratch using a more modern Python syntax.
   • DAdd more comments to the original function to explain the nested conditionals.
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