Part 3 "Bonus Program" An organization has already implemented a static analysis tool and is considering whether code reviews would have any added value. Which of the following defect types can only…

Question

Options

• AConformance to coding standards
• BConformance to design
• CEndless loop
• DCyclomatic complexity too high

• A
  4% (2)
• B
  92% (49)
• C
  2% (1)
• D
  2% (1)

Explanation

Conformance to design (B) is the only defect type that requires human judgment from a code reviewer. Static analysis tools examine source code mechanically - they have no knowledge of the intended system design, architectural decisions, or design documents. Only a human reviewer who understands the design can assess whether the code correctly implements what was designed.

Why the distractors are wrong:

• A. Conformance to coding standards - This is a primary strength of static analysis tools. They automatically flag violations of naming conventions, formatting rules, and prohibited constructs.
• C. Endless loop - Static analysis tools use control flow analysis to detect unreachable code and potential infinite loops. This is a structural issue the tool can identify programmatically.
• D. Cyclomatic complexity too high - Cyclomatic complexity is a metric that static analysis tools calculate directly from the code's control flow graph - no human review needed.

Memory tip: Ask yourself, "Does catching this defect require reading a design document or understanding intent?" If yes, only a human code review can find it. If the tool can derive it purely from the source code's text and structure, static analysis handles it.

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