During the development of a software change for a system, the developer makes a mistake in his work, which leads to a fault in the code. Unfortunately the fault is not found by software testing and…

Question

Options

• AThe system will fail, causing a defect
• BIf the defect is executed, the system may fail
• CLoss of money, time, or business reputation
• DContractual requirements have not been met by testing

• A
  2% (1)
• B
  87% (39)
• C
  2% (1)
• D
  9% (4)

Explanation

Option B is correct because in software quality terminology, a fault (defect in code) does not automatically produce a failure. The faulty code path must actually be executed, and even then, failure only may occur depending on the specific inputs and runtime conditions - a dormant fault can sit in production indefinitely without ever triggering a failure.

Why the distractors are wrong:

• A is too absolute - a fault guarantees nothing on its own. "Will fail" implies certainty, but the fault may never be executed or may not manifest under normal operating conditions.
• C describes a possible downstream impact of a failure, not a direct consequence of the fault itself. Many faults exist in live systems without causing any noticeable business harm.
• D is an assumption not supported by the scenario. A test suite can be contractually compliant and still miss a fault - no testing process achieves 100% coverage.

Memory tip: Think of the chain Mistake → Fault → (maybe) Failure. Each arrow is conditional, not guaranteed. The word "may" in option B is the key signal - it correctly captures the probabilistic nature of how faults translate into failures, which is a core ISTQB concept.

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