Software Quality Assurance Practice Exam

True or False: Exhaustive path testing guarantees that a program matches its specification.

1. True

2. False

3. It depends on the testing framework.

4. Only for small programs.

The correct answer is: False

Exhaustive path testing involves executing all possible paths through a program to ensure that each logical route has been covered. While this approach can identify many potential issues within the code, it does not guarantee that the program will match its specification. This is mainly because path testing focuses solely on the implementation and its logic, not on the compliance with the specified requirements. A program might execute all paths correctly yet still diverge from the intended functionality or business logic described in its specification. Furthermore, exhaustive path testing can be impractical for larger programs due to the exponential growth of possible paths, making it infeasible to test all of them thoroughly. Consequently, just completing exhaustive path tests does not ensure that all requirements laid out in the specifications have been satisfactorily met. Other options suggest conditional reliability on factors such as the testing framework or the size of the program, which still do not align with the core assertion of the question. Ultimately, while exhaustive path testing is a beneficial technique for identifying errors, it does not provide a complete guarantee of compliance with the specifications.