Software quality workflow — testing vs. debugging: Which statement correctly distinguishes software testing from debugging in the development lifecycle?

Introduction / Context:
Two core activities in software quality are testing and debugging. Although related, they serve different purposes. Testing aims to reveal defects; debugging aims to locate and fix their causes. The distinction is fundamental for planning, effort estimation, and tool selection.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Testing executes code or analyzes artifacts to find failures or nonconformance.
• Debugging involves diagnosis, isolation, and correction of the underlying faults.
• Syntax errors are typically caught by compilers or linters before runtime testing.

Concept / Approach:

Testing (unit, integration, system, acceptance) provides evidence of the presence of defects by observing failures or unmet requirements. Debugging is the engineering activity that follows a failing test: reproduce, instrument, reason about state, identify the faulty code, and apply a fix. They are complementary but not identical.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:

Industry standards (e.g., IEEE 829/ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119) define testing as evaluation of product quality and debugging as the process of finding and fixing the root cause of failures, aligning with option (a).

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• (b) Overemphasizes syntax errors; these are compile time issues, not the main focus of testing.
• (c) Equates testing and debugging; they are distinct phases.
• (d) “All of the above” cannot be true because (b) and (c) are incorrect.
• (e) Not applicable because (a) is correct.

Common Pitfalls:

Assuming tests guarantee absence of defects; tests can show the presence of bugs, not their absence. Confusing static analysis or compilation with dynamic testing.

Final Answer:

Testing checks for logical errors in the programs, while debugging is a process of correcting those errors in the program