AP Computer Science Principles:: Creative Development

What is INCREMENTAL DEVELOPMENT in the context of creating a computer program?

- **A)** Deleting and rewriting the entire program from scratch every time a bug is found
- **B)** A synonym for debugging
- **C)** Building a program in small, manageable pieces, testing each piece as it's added, rather than writing the entire program at once and testing it only at the very end
- **D)** Writing the complete, finished program in a single sitting with no intermediate testing

What is ITERATIVE DEVELOPMENT, and how does it relate to incremental development?

- **A)** A technique that only applies to hardware, never software
- **B)** A development process that repeatedly REVISITS and REFINES earlier parts of a program based on testing, feedback, or new requirements -- often used together with incremental development, since each new increment may reveal the need to revise something built earlier
- **C)** A synonym for writing a design document
- **D)** A process where a program is written exactly once and never revisited under any circumstances

Why do most real-world programs get developed using BOTH incremental AND iterative development, rather than being planned out completely and written in one single pass?

- **A)** It is extremely difficult to anticipate every requirement and design detail in advance; building and testing in small steps (incremental) while revising earlier decisions as needed (iterative) helps catch problems early and adapt to new information
- **B)** Incremental and iterative development are only used for very small, trivial programs
- **C)** These approaches are required by law for all commercial software
- **D)** Planning a program completely in advance always produces a perfect program with no possible improvements

What is a key benefit of COLLABORATION when developing a computer program, such as working in a pair or team?

- **A)** Working with others always guarantees a bug-free program
- **B)** Collaboration eliminates the need for any testing at all
- **C)** Different team members can catch each other's mistakes, contribute different perspectives and skills, and divide the work to make progress faster than working alone
- **D)** Collaboration always makes a program run faster on the computer

What is PAIR PROGRAMMING?

- **A)** A method for writing programs that requires no testing
- **B)** A synonym for iterative development
- **C)** A collaborative technique where two programmers work together at one workstation -- one writing code (the 'driver') while the other reviews each line and thinks ahead (the 'navigator'), often switching roles periodically
- **D)** A technique where two completely separate, unrelated programs are written by two different companies

Why might a PROGRAM DESIGN document (planning what a program should do BEFORE writing code) be useful, even before a single line of code is written?

- **A)** It helps clarify the program's PURPOSE, intended USERS, and required FUNCTIONALITY in advance, making it easier for a team (or an individual working over time) to stay aligned and avoid wasted effort building the wrong thing
- **B)** Design documents are purely decorative and have no practical effect on how a program gets built
- **C)** Design documents are only useful after a program is completely finished
- **D)** A design document guarantees the resulting program will have zero bugs

What does it mean to identify the INTENDED USERS of a program during the design/planning phase?

- **A)** Identifying which company will eventually purchase the finished software
- **B)** This step is unnecessary and never affects how a program should be designed
- **C)** Intended users can only be identified after the program is completely finished
- **D)** Determining WHO will actually use the program (e.g., children, professionals, people with visual impairments) so that its features, interface, and functionality can be designed to genuinely meet their needs

What is the purpose of TESTING a program during development?

- **A)** Testing is only necessary after a program has already been released to actual users
- **B)** To systematically check whether the program behaves correctly -- including for a variety of typical AND edge-case inputs -- in order to find bugs before the program is considered finished or released
- **C)** Testing guarantees that a program is 100% free of bugs once complete
- **D)** Testing is the same thing as writing documentation