Applied · Stage test

Software Development and Architecture Intermediate stage test

No governed timed route exists for this stage yet, so this page gives you an honest untimed stage-end check built from the published bank.

Format Untimed self-check
Questions 18
Best time to use it After the stage modules and practice

Question 1

What is the key advantage of a layered (n-tier) architecture?

  1. It runs faster than other architectures
  2. Each layer has a clear responsibility and can be modified independently, supporting separation of concerns
  3. It eliminates the need for databases
  4. It uses less memory
Reveal answer

Correct answer: Each layer has a clear responsibility and can be modified independently, supporting separation of concerns

Question 2

What is the main risk of a monolithic architecture as an application grows?

  1. It becomes too secure
  2. Changes to one part can unintentionally break other parts, and the entire application must be deployed as one unit
  3. It uses too many databases
  4. Monoliths cannot handle any traffic
Reveal answer

Correct answer: Changes to one part can unintentionally break other parts, and the entire application must be deployed as one unit

Question 3

When should you choose microservices over a monolith?

  1. Always, because microservices are inherently better
  2. When independent scaling, deployment, and team ownership of different capabilities provide genuine value that outweighs the added complexity
  3. When you want to reduce the number of deployments
  4. When your team has fewer than five developers
Reveal answer

Correct answer: When independent scaling, deployment, and team ownership of different capabilities provide genuine value that outweighs the added complexity

Question 4

What is the 'fallacy of distributed computing' that trips up microservices teams?

  1. That distributed systems are always slower
  2. Assumptions like 'the network is reliable' and 'latency is zero' which are false in distributed environments
  3. That microservices cannot share databases
  4. That each service must use a different programming language
Reveal answer

Correct answer: Assumptions like 'the network is reliable' and 'latency is zero' which are false in distributed environments

Question 5

What is the core idea behind event-driven architecture?

  1. Services communicate only through REST APIs
  2. Components communicate by producing and consuming events, enabling loose coupling and asynchronous processing
  3. Events are logged but never processed
  4. All processing happens synchronously
Reveal answer

Correct answer: Components communicate by producing and consuming events, enabling loose coupling and asynchronous processing

Question 6

What problem does CQRS (Command Query Responsibility Segregation) solve?

  1. It eliminates the need for a database
  2. It separates read and write models so each can be optimised independently for their specific access patterns
  3. It combines all queries into a single command
  4. It prevents SQL injection
Reveal answer

Correct answer: It separates read and write models so each can be optimised independently for their specific access patterns

Question 7

In hexagonal architecture (ports and adapters), what is the purpose of a 'port'?

  1. A network port for communication
  2. An interface that defines how the core domain logic communicates with the outside world, keeping business logic independent of infrastructure
  3. A physical connection on the server
  4. A deployment endpoint
Reveal answer

Correct answer: An interface that defines how the core domain logic communicates with the outside world, keeping business logic independent of infrastructure

Question 8

What is serverless architecture and when is it a good fit?

  1. An architecture with no servers at all
  2. An event-driven model where the cloud provider manages server infrastructure, well-suited for variable workloads and event-triggered processing
  3. A pattern where all logic runs on the client
  4. A deployment approach that eliminates all costs
Reveal answer

Correct answer: An event-driven model where the cloud provider manages server infrastructure, well-suited for variable workloads and event-triggered processing

Question 9

What is vendor lock-in and why should architects consider it?

  1. A security feature that locks out vendor access
  2. A situation where heavy dependence on a specific vendor's proprietary services makes migration difficult and expensive
  3. A contract that guarantees vendor support
  4. A pattern for securing vendor APIs
Reveal answer

Correct answer: A situation where heavy dependence on a specific vendor's proprietary services makes migration difficult and expensive

Question 10

What is the Strangler Fig pattern used for?

  1. A security hardening technique
  2. Incrementally migrating from a legacy system to a new one by gradually replacing functionality rather than doing a big-bang rewrite
  3. A caching strategy for distributed systems
  4. A method for compressing database tables
Reveal answer

Correct answer: Incrementally migrating from a legacy system to a new one by gradually replacing functionality rather than doing a big-bang rewrite

Question 11

What is eventual consistency?

  1. A guarantee that all data is immediately consistent everywhere
  2. A model where updates propagate through the system over time, and all replicas will eventually reach the same state
  3. A consistency model where data is never consistent
  4. A testing strategy for databases
Reveal answer

Correct answer: A model where updates propagate through the system over time, and all replicas will eventually reach the same state

Question 12

What is the circuit breaker pattern in microservices?

  1. A hardware device that prevents electrical surges
  2. A pattern that prevents cascading failures by stopping requests to a failing service after a threshold of errors is reached
  3. A security mechanism for API authentication
  4. A database locking strategy
Reveal answer

Correct answer: A pattern that prevents cascading failures by stopping requests to a failing service after a threshold of errors is reached

Question 13

What does Domain-Driven Design (DDD) mean by a 'bounded context'?

  1. A physical server boundary
  2. A clear boundary within which a particular domain model is defined and applicable, preventing model conflicts across different parts of the system
  3. A geographical region for deployment
  4. A budget limit for a development team
Reveal answer

Correct answer: A clear boundary within which a particular domain model is defined and applicable, preventing model conflicts across different parts of the system

Question 14

Why are trade-off decisions the most important skill in architecture?

  1. Because there is always one correct answer
  2. Because every architectural choice involves giving up something to gain something else, and defending those trade-offs is the core of the architect's role
  3. Because trade-offs only matter in large systems
  4. Because stakeholders do not care about technical details
Reveal answer

Correct answer: Because every architectural choice involves giving up something to gain something else, and defending those trade-offs is the core of the architect's role

Question 15

In the AWS Well-Architected Framework, which pillar focuses on protecting data and systems?

  1. Operational Excellence
  2. Security
  3. Cost Optimisation
  4. Sustainability
Reveal answer

Correct answer: Security

Question 16

What is the saga pattern and when is it needed?

  1. A long narrative documentation style
  2. A pattern for managing distributed transactions across microservices using a sequence of local transactions with compensating actions for rollback
  3. A versioning strategy for APIs
  4. A deployment automation tool
Reveal answer

Correct answer: A pattern for managing distributed transactions across microservices using a sequence of local transactions with compensating actions for rollback

Question 17

What does 'coupling' mean in software architecture?

  1. The speed of communication between components
  2. The degree to which components depend on each other, where high coupling means changes in one component likely require changes in others
  3. The number of features in a module
  4. The size of the codebase
Reveal answer

Correct answer: The degree to which components depend on each other, where high coupling means changes in one component likely require changes in others

Question 18

What is the relationship between cohesion and coupling in good architecture?

  1. Both should be high
  2. Both should be low
  3. High cohesion within components and low coupling between components
  4. Low cohesion within components and high coupling between components
Reveal answer

Correct answer: High cohesion within components and low coupling between components

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