You have been tasked with adding the execution of build verification tests to the current CI/CD pipeline used in an Agile project. The goal of these tests is to verify the stability of daily builds and ensure that the most recent changes have not altered core functionality. Currently, the first activity performed as part of this pipeline is the static source code analysis. Which of the following stages in the pipeline would you add the execution of these smoke tests to?

• A. After performing static analysis on the source code and before generating the new build
• B. As a final activity, immediately before releasing the new build into production
• C. As a first activity, before performing static source code analysis and before generating the new build
• D. After deploying the new build to the test environment and before performing more extensive testing

Some automated regression test scripts run by a TAS in a given test environment make calls to private APIs that require authentication for all requests (the authentication method is the same for all APIs). The SUT is a business-critical system. The following two changes are planned: a change in the authentication method of all APIs and a minor upgrade of the OS (Operating System) in the test environment. You have updated the test scripts to cope with the change in the API authentication method. Which of the following sequences of activities is BEST to ensure that the test scripts are not adversely affected by these changes?

• A. Implement one change at a time and run a subset of the updated test scripts after each change, and finally run all the updated test scripts
• B. First upgrade the OS, then implement the change in the API authentication method, and finally run all the updated test scripts
• C. Implement one change at a time and run a subset of the updated test scripts after each change
• D. First implement the change in the API authentication method, then upgrade the OS, and finally run all the updated test scripts

(Which of the following statements about how test automation is applied across different software development lifecycle models is TRUE?)

• A. In Agile software development, automated regression test suites sometimes grow so large that they can become difficult to maintain, and thus, it becomes crucial to invest in test automation at multiple test levels
• B. In a Waterfall model, automated tests are usually executed only during the last phase of the development lifecycle, but their implementation occurs in the early stages
• C. Unlike Agile software development, where automated unit tests are written by developers, often in a test-first fashion, in a V-model, automated unit tests are written by testers as part of unit testing
• D. In Agile software development, regardless of context (e.g., type of application to be developed, tools available), test automation must be based on the test automation distribution known as the test pyramid model

In a first possible implementation, the automated test scripts within a suite locate and interact with elements of a web UI indirectly through the browsers using browser-specific drivers and APIs, provided by an automated test tool used as part of the TAS. In an alternative implementation, these test scripts locate and interact with elements of the same web UI directly at the HTML level by accessing the DOM (Document Object Model) and internal JavaScript code. The first possible implementation:

• A. Has a higher level of intrusion than the alternative implementation, and therefore its test scripts are less likely to produce false positives
• B. Has a lower level of intrusion than the alternative implementation, and therefore its test scripts are more likely to produce false positives
• C. Has the same level of intrusion as the alternative implementation, and therefore the risk of test scripts producing false positives is the same in both cases
• D. Has a lower level of intrusion than the alternative implementation, and therefore its test scripts are less likely to produce false positives

A SUT (SUT1) is a client-server system based on a thin client. The client is primarily a display and input interface, while the server provides almost all the resources and functionality of the system. Another SUT (SUT2) is a client-server system based on a fat client that relies little on the server and provides most of the resources and functionality of the system. A given TAS is used to implement automated tests on both SUT1 and SUT2. The main objective of the TAS is to cover as many system functionalities as possible through automated tests executed as fast as possible. Which of the following statements about the automation solution is BEST in this scenario?

• A. The TAS should support mainly client-side automation for both SUT1 and SUT2
• B. The TAS should support mainly server-side automation for both SUT1 and SUT2
• C. The TAS should support mainly server-side automation for SUT1 and client-side automation for SUT2
• D. The TAS should support mainly client-side automation for SUT1 and server-side automation for SUT2