Which one of the following statements about mutant subsumption is correct?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The question asks which statement about mutant subsumption is correct, and we are given a single provided statement as the answer.

Option content present: 'A mutant X subsumes mutant Y when every test case that kills X also necessarily kills Y.'

First, let's unpack the concept of subsumption in mutation testing. Subsumption is a relationship between mutants where one mutant (X) is at least as difficult to kill as another mutant (Y). In practical terms, if every test that kills X also kills Y, then X is harder to kill than Y, and X subsumes Y.

Now, evaluating the provided statement: 
- The clause 'every test case that kills X' correctly refers to the tests that kill mutant X. 
- The phrase 'also necessarily kills Y' asserts that those same tests would kill Y as well, which aligns with the formal definition of subsumption (X subsumes Y if test kills X implies it kills Y). 
- The logical direction is important: X subsumes Y does not require that there exists a test that kills Y but not X; rather, X being killed implies Y is killed under the same tests. The given statement captures this implication accurately.

Potential subtleties: 
- If there were multiple interpretations (e.g., contrapositive or weaker/stronger forms), the precise equivalence hinges on the universal quantification over the test suite: for all tests t, if t kills X then t kills Y. The statement provided expresses this universal implication in natural language. 
- The statement does not mention the contrapositive (if a test kills Y, does it kill X), which is not required for the subsumption relation itself. The subsumption definition focuses on the forward direction (X implies Y for killed tests).

Given the standard definition, the statement as written is correct in describing the subsumption relationship between mutants X and Y. If additional options had been present, we would compare them to this definition by checking whether they maintain the same universal implication across all test cases and avoid mischaracterizations such as claiming equality, independence, or the reverse implication.

In summary, the provided statement accurately reflects the core idea of mutant subsumption: any test that kills the subsuming mutant X also kills the subsumed mutant Y.

SOFT3202 COMP9202 (ND) Quiz 13

Which one of the following statements about mutant subsumption is correct?

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