Software Quality Assurance Practice Exam

What is a disadvantage of exhaustive path testing?

1. It is not thorough.

2. It may not detect issues in specifications.

3. It is highly cost-effective.

4. It requires minimal resources.

The correct answer is: It may not detect issues in specifications.

Exhaustive path testing involves testing all possible paths through a program to ensure that each part of the code is executed and verified. While this approach aims for thoroughness, it has significant disadvantages, particularly in terms of practicality and resource requirements. One key disadvantage of exhaustive path testing is its resource intensity. As the complexity of the software increases, the number of possible paths increases exponentially, making it impractical to test every single path. This can lead to scenarios where certain issues or edge cases in the specifications may remain undetected simply because exhaustive testing is not feasible within time or budget constraints. Additionally, exhaustive path testing doesn’t necessarily address the correctness of the specifications themselves; it focuses on the implementation of the code, meaning aspects like requirement ambiguities or missing specifications may go unnoticed. Thus, while path testing can highlight implementation problems, it may not reveal deeper issues related to the expected behavior defined in the specifications. In summary, while exhaustive path testing is intended to be comprehensive, its extreme resource demands and the possibility of untested specifications can limit its overall effectiveness, making the option about specification issues the most relevant disadvantage in this context.