This set tests your grip on the software development life cycle and the classic process models: waterfall and its iterative variant, incremental delivery, prototyping, the risk-driven spiral model, RAD, the V-model and the Unified Process. Each question comes with a short explanation, making it useful for university semester exams, GATE and UGC NET preparation, and the software engineering round of campus placements and interviews.
How to practise: read each question and tap the option you think is correct. You will see right away whether you got it, along with a short explanation, and your score is tracked at the bottom of the screen. This set has 18 questions.
Topics covered in this set
- SDLC phases and feasibility study
- Classical and iterative waterfall model
- Incremental and evolutionary development
- Throwaway and evolutionary prototyping
- Spiral model and risk analysis
- RAD, V-model and Unified Process phases
Software Engineering MCQs with answers and explanations
Q1. A government payroll project has fixed, thoroughly documented requirements, a familiar technology stack and a short schedule. Which process model fits best?
a) Classical waterfall model
b) Spiral model
c) Evolutionary prototyping
d) Throwaway prototyping
Q2. The spiral model of software development was proposed by
a) Winston Royce
b) Barry Boehm
c) Frederick Brooks
d) Watts Humphrey
Q3. What feature most clearly distinguishes the spiral model from other process models?
a) Strict sequential execution of phases
b) Absence of any planning activity
c) Explicit identification and resolution of risks in every cycle
d) Delivery of the complete system in a single release
Q4. In the V-model, integration testing is planned and designed against which development phase?
a) Requirements elicitation
b) Detailed module design
c) Coding
d) Architectural (high-level) design
Q5. A client cannot state clearly how a new reporting screen should behave. The team builds a quick, rough version only to gather feedback and then discards it. This approach is
a) Evolutionary prototyping
b) Throwaway prototyping
c) Incremental delivery
d) Big-bang integration
Q6. Rapid Application Development (RAD) is least suitable when
a) Users are available to give continuous feedback
b) Reusable components are readily available
c) The system cannot be properly divided into independent modules
d) The project scope fits within a short time-box
Q7. A startup wants a usable core of its accounting product released quickly, with features such as GST reports and payroll added in later releases. Which model matches this plan?
a) Incremental model
b) Classical waterfall model
c) V-model
d) Throwaway prototyping
Q8. The most serious practical drawback of the classical waterfall model is that
a) It requires no documentation
b) It cannot be used for small projects
c) It forces risk analysis at every phase
d) Working software becomes available only late, and errors found later are costly to fix
Q9. The iterative waterfall model improves on the classical waterfall model mainly by
a) Removing the requirements phase
b) Merging design and testing into one phase
c) Adding feedback paths so that errors can be corrected in the phase where they were introduced
d) Delivering the product in many small increments
Q10. Over the entire life of a typical long-lived software product, which activity accounts for the largest share of total cost?
a) Maintenance
b) Requirements specification
c) Coding
d) Unit testing
Q11. Which statement correctly describes evolutionary prototyping?
a) The prototype is always discarded after requirements are frozen
b) It is used only for user-interface mock-ups on paper
c) It forbids customer feedback until the final release
d) The prototype is continuously refined until it becomes the delivered system
Q12. In each loop of the spiral model, which activity is carried out in the second quadrant?
a) Determining objectives and constraints
b) Identifying and resolving risks
c) Developing and verifying the next-level product
d) Reviewing results and planning the next loop
Q13. Comparing estimated development and operating costs with expected benefits is part of which type of feasibility study?
a) Technical feasibility
b) Operational feasibility
c) Schedule feasibility
d) Economic feasibility
Q14. Which process model is often described as a meta-model because it can incorporate the characteristics of several other models?
a) Spiral model
b) Classical waterfall model
c) Code-and-fix model
d) Big-bang model
Q15. In the spiral model diagram, what does the radial distance from the centre represent?
a) Number of defects remaining
b) Cumulative cost incurred so far
c) Number of developers on the team
d) Size of the source code in KLOC
Q16. In the Unified Process, a stable architectural baseline is mainly established during which phase?
a) Inception
b) Construction
c) Elaboration
d) Transition
Q17. Software engineering emerged as a discipline largely in response to
a) The software crisis of projects running late, over budget and unreliable
b) The invention of the transistor
c) The decline in demand for software
d) The standardisation of programming languages
Q18. A requirement error is cheapest to correct if it is detected during
a) System testing
b) Acceptance testing
c) Operation and maintenance
d) The requirements phase itself
Quick revision notes
- Waterfall: linear phases, suits stable, well-understood requirements; working software appears late.
- Iterative waterfall adds feedback paths so errors can be corrected in earlier phases.
- Spiral (Boehm, 1986): risk-driven, four quadrants per loop; radius = cumulative cost; called a meta-model.
- Throwaway prototype is discarded after clarifying requirements; evolutionary prototype grows into the product.
- V-model: unit test <-> detailed design, integration test <-> architectural design, system test <-> system spec, acceptance test <-> user requirements.
- RAD needs modular systems, reusable components, timeboxing and committed users.
- Unified Process phases: inception, elaboration, construction, transition.
- Maintenance usually consumes the largest share of total life-cycle cost.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between the incremental and the iterative model?
An incremental model delivers the system in pieces, each adding new working features to what was released before. An iterative model repeatedly refines the same scope through cycles of design, build and review. Most modern processes combine both ideas.
Why is the spiral model called a meta-model?
Because it can behave like other models depending on how its loops are used: one loop with no risk focus resembles waterfall, early loops that build prototypes resemble prototyping, and repeated deliveries resemble incremental development. Its distinguishing element is explicit risk analysis in every loop.
When should the waterfall model be used?
It suits small or well-defined projects where requirements are stable, the technology is familiar and the customer does not need early working versions. Regulated projects that need heavy documentation also often use waterfall-style phases.
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