Systematic Debugging Workflow Fundamentals Quiz

Test your foundational knowledge of efficient debugging practices, including reproduction steps, minimal examples, logs, breakpoints, and code bisection.

1. Identifying Bug Causes

   What is the primary purpose of writing clear reproduction steps when reporting a software bug?

   1. To assign blame to specific developers
   2. To list all features unrelated to the bug
   3. To summarize recent software updates
   4. To allow others to reliably trigger the problem
   5. To document code formatting rules

2. Efficiency in Debugging

   When constructing a minimal reproducible example, what is the main thing you should focus on?

   1. Listing all installed applications
   2. Adding as many error messages as possible
   3. Explaining the project’s history
   4. Describing all unrelated background processes
   5. Including the smallest amount of code that still shows the issue

3. Understanding Log Outputs

   In debugging, why is it helpful to examine log files or stack traces after a program crashes?

   1. They automatically fix coding mistakes
   2. They offer suggestions for variable names
   3. They remove faulty files from the system
   4. They increase program execution speed
   5. They often provide detailed error messages and source locations

4. Breakpoint Basics

   When using a debugger, what does setting a breakpoint do?

   1. It pauses program execution at a specific line of code
   2. It saves the current state to a file automatically
   3. It optimizes the program's speed
   4. It removes comments from the code
   5. It hides all warnings from the console

5. Tracing Execution Flow

   If a program behaves unexpectedly, which debugging technique helps you follow how values change step by step?

   1. Renaming variables at random
   2. Stepping through the code with a debugger
   3. Running the code multiple times without changes
   4. Disabling all breakpoints
   5. Commenting out all print statements

6. Code Bisection Strategy

   What is the goal of the bisection method during debugging?

   1. To obfuscate the code for security
   2. To identify the specific change or commit that introduced a bug
   3. To test all lines in parallel
   4. To split the code evenly for teamwork
   5. To automatically generate documentation

7. Stack Trace Interpretation

   If a stack trace shows several function calls, what does the topmost function in the trace usually represent?

   1. The debugger’s internal method
   2. A random unrelated function
   3. The main entry point of the entire system
   4. The function where the error occurred
   5. The first function ever written in the program

8. Effective Issue Isolation

   Why is isolating unrelated components important when trying to find a bug with a minimal reproducible example?

   1. It increases the overall file size
   2. It allows other developers to ignore errors
   3. It prevents distractions from unrelated code and narrows the search area
   4. It changes the color of highlighted text
   5. It backs up the code automatically

9. Recording Debugging Steps

   How can keeping a written record of your debugging attempts and observations be beneficial?

   1. It immediately optimizes performance
   2. It helps avoid repeating the same steps and tracks progress
   3. It prevents all future bugs
   4. It automatically emails your supervisor
   5. It auto-formats your source code

10. Avoiding Common Pitfalls

    Suppose you change too many variables between test runs while debugging; what problem might this cause?

    1. It logs more detailed stack traces automatically
    2. It verifies the correctness of all functions
    3. It becomes difficult to know which change affected the outcome
    4. It instantly solves the underlying bug
    5. It creates a backup before every run