Deck 9: Process Specifications and Structured Decisions

Question 1

In order to build decision tables, what does the analyst not need to do?

A)Eliminate any impossible situations.
B)Simplify the table as much as possible.
C)Determine the minimum size of the table.
D)Eliminate inconsistencies.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which is structured English not based on?

A)instructions organized into nested and grouped procedures
B)simple English statements
C)unstructured logic
D)add, multiply, move, and so on

Answer 2

C

Question 3

In order to determine the human information requirements using a decision analysis strategy, what must the systems analyst determine?

A)necessary data
B)objectives
C)information
D)data structure

Answer 3

B

Question 4

When selection is indicated for elements in the data dictionary:

A)a simple sequence of structured English statements is all that is necessary.
B)an IF...THEN...ELSE structure must be present in the structured English statements.
C)DO WHILE, DO UNTIL, or PERFORM UNTIL structured English statements must be included.
D)a decision tree must be used to depict the logic.

Question 5

When creating process specifications, what needs to be done for manual tasks?

A)Create well-defined procedures for employees performing the tasks.
B)Replace them with automated processes.
C)Outline the decisions using a decision tree.
D)Nothing, they are not part of processing specifications.

Question 6

Process logic may be represented as:

A)structured English.
B)a decision table.
C)a decision tree.
D)a formula.
E)All of the above.

Question 7

Which of the following is not one of the main problems that can occur in developing decision tables?

A)incompleteness
B)impossible situations
C)contradictions
D)repetition

Question 8

Primitive process specifications are not produced for:

A)processes that use decision trees.
B)processes for which pre-written code already exists.
C)processes that involve complex editing.
D)All of the above.

Question 9

A goal of producing process specifications is to:

A)reduce process interactions.
B)build technical specifications for a specific computer language.
C)validate the system design, including data flow diagrams and the data dictionary.
D)design computer input and output processes.

Question 10

When iteration is indicated for an element or a group of elements in the data dictionary:

A)a simple sequence of structured English statements is all that is necessary.
B)an IF..THEN...ELSE structured must be present in the structured English statements.
C)DO WHILE, DO UNTIL, or PERFORM UNTIL structured English statements must be included.
D)a decision table must be used to depict the logic.

Question 11

In a decision table, contradictions occur when:

A)an important condition is omitted.
B)when the situation cannot occur because there are two or more conditions that cannot occur at the same time.
C)identical sets of alternatives require the same action.
D)rules suggest different actions but satisfy the same conditions.

Question 12

When drawing the tree, systems analysts do not have to identify:

A)all outcomes.
B)all actions.
C)the order.
D)all conditions.

Question 13

Which of the following is not a business rule?

A)business conditions and actions
B)user ethics
C)logical inferences
D)processing sequences

Question 14

Which of the following is not a problem when creating decision tables?

A)impossible situations
B)too many conditions
C)redundancy
D)contradictions

Question 15

Which of the following is not one of the three basic constructs used to code computer programs?

A)sequence
B)selection
C)iteration
D)computation

Question 16

Which of the following is not a business rule?

A)logical inferences
B)mathematical and functional derivations
C)programming language IF statements
D)definitions of business terms

Question 17

Unlike the decision tree used in management science, what doesn't the analyst's tree contain?

A)decisions
B)conditions
C)outcomes
D)actions

Question 18

Which is not one of three main advantages of a decision tree over a decision table?

A)more correct as a communication tool
B)sequential structure of decision tree branches
C)conditions and actions of decision trees are found on some branches
D)more readily understood

Question 19

In order to use structured English, which convention is not advisable?

A)Express all logic in terms of sequential structures, decision structures, case structures, or iterations.
B)Blank a line and indent blocks of statements to show their hierarchy.
C)Use and capitalize accepted keywords such as IF, THEN.
D)Be careful when using "and" and "or."

Question 20

Which is the correct choice?

A)Use structured English when not every condition is relevant to every action.
B)Use decision tables when communication to end users is important.
C)Use decision trees when the sequence of conditions and actions is critical.
D)Use decision tables when there are many repetitious actions.

Question 21

________ are used when complex branching occurs in a structured decision process.

A)Decision tables
B)Data dictionaries
C)Decision trees
D)All of the above.

Question 22

Which of the following is not an example of a keyword for structured English?

A)IF
B)DO
C)PERFORM
D)IS LIKE

Question 23

Process descriptions may exist on a form or within a ________ repository.

A)data
B)data dictionary
C)CASE tool
D)CASE diagram

Question 24

A data structure with optional elements contained in parenthesis or either/or elements contained in brackets will have a corresponding ________ statement in the process specification.

A)DO ... WHILE
B)PERFORM
C)DO ... UNTIL
D)IF ...THEN ...ELSE

Question 25

Process descriptions may exist on a form but not within a CASE tool repository.

Question 26

________ are created for primitive processes on a data flow diagram.

A)Process specifications
B)Process diagrams
C)Process databases
D)Production specifications

Question 27

Process specifications show the decision-making logic and formulas necessary to transform process input data into output.

Question 28

Process specifications are sometimes called ________, because they are a small portion of the total project specifications.

A)designs
B)data flows
C)information nodes
D)minispecs

Question 29

What is a way to examine, describe, and document structured decisions?

A)decision table
B)data flow
C)data dictionary
D)database

Question 30

Which of the following is not a goal of producing process specifications?

A)to reduce the ambiguity of the process
B)to reduce the time it takes for a process to run
C)to obtain a precise description of what is accomplished
D)to validate the system design

Question 31

Process specifications are always produced for input and output operations, such as a read or write operation.

Question 32

________, indicated by braces on a data structure, must have a corresponding DO WHILE, DO UNTIL, or PERFORM UNTIL structured English statement.

A)Iteration
B)Selection
C)Movement
D)Sequence

Question 33

While process specifications produce a precise description of what is accomplished, they are not detailed enough to validate the system design.

Question 34

In a decision table, ________ occur(s)when rules suggest different actions but satisfy the same conditions.

A)contradictions
B)conditions
C)redundancy
D)incompleteness

Question 35

________ are an important tool in the analysis of structured decisions.

A)Contradictions
B)Data dictionaries
C)Decision trees
D)Decision tables

Question 36

Process logic may be represented as either structured English, a decision table, a decision tree, or a formula.

Question 37

Structured English can be more complex if blocks of (instructions)are ________ within each other to show hierarchy.

A)nested
B)grouped
C)selected
D)placed

Question 38

One of the goals of producing ________ is to validate the system design, including the data flow diagram and the data dictionary.

A)process diagrams
B)process databases
C)process specifications
D)production specifications

Question 39

When structured decisions are not complex, an appropriate technique for analyzing the decision process is the use of ________.

A)CASE tools
B)structured English
C)decision trees
D)decision diagrams

Question 40

Running a section of code over and over again until some condition is met is an example of a:

A)loop.
B)IF...THEN.
C)DO... WHILE.
D)decision table.

Question 41

When structured decisions are not complex, an appropriate technique for analyzing the decision process is the use of semistructured English.

Question 42

Use decision tables when complex combinations of conditions, actions, and rules are found.

Question 43

Besides the obvious advantage of clarifying the logic and relationships found in human languages, structured English has another important advantage as a communication tool.

Question 44

Iteration data dictionary entries become simple structured English statements in a sequence.

Question 45

Use decision tables when you require a method that effectively avoids impossible situations, redundancies, and contradictions.

Question 46

A square node indicates a condition, and a circle indicates an action.

Question 47

Use decision trees when not every condition is relevant to every action.

Question 48

Use structured English when not every condition is relevant to every action.

Question 49

Use structured English when complex combinations of conditions, actions, and rules are found.

Question 50

It is useful to combine conditions and actions when drawing decision trees.

Question 51

All the process specifications for the entire data flow diagram are consolidated and included in the specification packet given to the computer programmer.

Question 52

Selection data dictionary entries become IF...THEN...ELSE structured English statements.

Question 53

If communication is unimportant, structured English is a viable alternative for decision analysis.

Question 54

Use decision trees when there are many repetitious actions.

Question 55

In drawing the tree, identify all conditions and actions and the order and timing of these.

Question 56

It is important to develop decision tables in a logical, systematic approach.

Question 57

Use decision tables when there are many repetitious actions.

Question 58

Business rules are the set of procedures, conditions or formulas that allow a corporation to run its business.

Question 59

Use decision trees when the sequence of conditions and actions is critical.

Question 60

Decision trees are most often drawn on their side, with the root of the tree on the left-hand side paper, branching out to the right.

Question 61

Use decision tables when complex combinations of conditions, actions, and rules are found.

Question 62

The lower half of a decision tree contains the actions to be taken on the left and the rules for executing the actions on the right.

Question 63

Compose a structured English statement for the following supermarket scenario:
"First, we determine whether the customer has shopped with us before. If they have, we give them a free bonus coupon. If they have not yet shopped with us, we give them a free membership card. We do this until there are no more customers in line."

Question 64

Use decision trees when you require a method that effectively avoids impossible situations, redundancies and contradictions.

Question 65

Use decision trees when not every condition is relevant to every decision.

Question 66

Use decision trees when communication to end users is important.

Question 67

Use decision trees when not every condition is relevant to every action (the branches are different).

Question 68

All the process specifications are consolidated and included in the specification packet given to the computer programmer.

Question 69

One major advantage of using decision tables over other methods is that tables help the analyst ensure completeness.

Question 70

What are the three reasons for producing process specifications?

Question 71

Use decision tables when the sequence of conditions and actions is critical.

Question 72

What is the advantage of using structured English to communicate with people in the organization?

Question 73

Decision trees are useful when it is essential to keep a string of decisions in a particular sequence.

Question 74

The use of diagrams makes the decision tree more readable when one thinks of a circle as signifying IF when the square means THEN.

Question 75

Business rules are the set of procedures, conditions or formulas that allow a corporation to run its business.

Question 76

In drawing the tree, begin building from left to right while making sure you are complete in listing all possible alternatives before moving over to the right.

Question 77

What three advantages do decision trees have over decision tables?

Question 78

In systems analysis, trees are used mainly for identifying and organizing conditions and actions in a completely structured decision process.

Question 79

List three of the five conventions that should be followed when using structured English.

Question 80

Use decision trees when there are many repetitious actions.