How is debugging different to testing?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

When evaluating the question about how debugging differs from testing, I’ll look at each option and explain why it can be considered correct or incorrect based on standard software engineering concepts.

Option a: 'Testing is searching for errors while debugging is fixing errors.' This aligns with a common practical distinction: testing is the activity of running the program (or parts of it) to uncover defects, whereas debugging is the activity of locating the root cause of those defects and applying a fix. While a more nuanced view would say debugging also includes analysis to understand why the defect occurred and validating that the fix resolves it, this option captures the core functional difference between the two activities: one is about discovery (testing) and the other is about remedying (debugging).

Option b: 'They are exactly the same!' This is incorrect because testing and debugging are distinct activities with different objectives and activities. Testing aims to expose defects; debugging aims to identify and fix defects. Treating them as identical ignores the separate skills, processes, and goals involved in each.

Option c: 'Debugging is searching for errors while testing is fixing errors.' This reverses the typical roles. Debugging is primarily the process of diagnosing and correcting defects, not merely searching for them. Testing, not fixing, is the activity that finds or reveals defects through execution, comparison, or evaluation.

Option d: 'Debugging creates errors while testing fixes errors.' This statement is factually inaccurate. Debugging does not create errors; it addresses existing defects by locating their causes and applying fixes. Likewise, testing does not inherently fix errors; it detects them, which then leads to debugging and fixing. The phrasing here describes an inverted and misleading dynamic between the two activities.

MUF0051 ICT Unit 1 - Semester 2, 2025 7.14 Quiz: Project stages

How is debugging different to testing?

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