(SEM IV) THEORY EXAMINATION 2018-19 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING

SOFTWARE ENGINEERING – B.Tech (Semester IV), RCS-402

This is a 3-hour, 70-mark theory examination aimed at assessing students’ understanding of software development processes, life-cycle models, documentation, design principles, testing strategies, metrics, and software management.

The paper is divided into three structured sections, testing conceptual clarity, descriptive depth, and analytical reasoning.
 

SECTION A — Short Answer Questions (2 × 7 = 14 Marks)

This section consists of 7 brief conceptual questions, assessing basic theoretical knowledge.

Topics include:

SEI–CMM process maturity levels                       Evolutionary vs throw-away prototyping

Context-level DFD for Safe Home Software       Horizontal vs vertical partitioning

Verification vs validation                                    Equivalence partitioning

Software re-engineering

These questions test fundamental definitions, conceptual differences, and basic diagrams.
 

SECTION B — Descriptive Questions (7 × 3 = 21 Marks)

Attempt any 3 out of 5.
This section requires detailed explanation, diagrams, and design or testing logic.

Topics include:

Iterative waterfall model & spiral model           Software requirements documentation & importance

Data, architectural & procedural design           Abstraction, modularity & decomposition in design

Black-box testing, integration testing & their outputs

This section evaluates process understanding, design concepts, and software testing methods.
 

SECTION C — Long Answer / Analytical Questions (7 marks each)

Each question provides a choice (a or b) and requires deeper reasoning and structured explanation.

Q3 – Software Process Paradigms & Spiral Model

Various software process paradigms

How waterfall & prototyping fit inside the spiral model

OR: Importance of product vs process

Q4 – Feasibility & SRS (Software Requirements Specification)

Types of feasibility studies & their effects

Structure and importance of a detailed SRS document

Q5 – Design Principles & Evaluation

Design concepts (abstraction, refinement, modularity, architecture, patterns)

Characteristics of good design, types of coupling & cohesion, design evaluation

Q6 – Software Testing Concepts

Boundary value analysis + examples

System testing and its detailed explanation

Q7 – Software Metrics & CASE Tools

Need for software measures & types of metrics

Short notes: CASE tools & software complexity measure

This section assesses analytical ability, design thinking, process reasoning, and testing depth, which are essential in real-world software engineering.
 

OVERALL PURPOSE OF THE EXAM

The paper aims to evaluate whether a student can:

Understand & compare multiple software life-cycle models

Prepare and interpret requirement documents and SRS

Apply software design principles (coupling, cohesion, modularity)

Perform testing methods such as BVA, black-box & system testing

Understand software metrics, complexity measures & CASE tools

Explain documentation, feasibility, and process management

Compare prototyping, architectural models, and software development strategies