Coupling and cohesion in Software Engineering - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the sentence to define coupling.

Software Engineering

Coupling refers to the degree of [1] between software modules.

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Ainteraction

Bindependence

Csimilarity

Dcomplexity

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Confusing coupling with cohesion.

Thinking coupling means modules are independent.

Coupling measures how much modules depend on or interact with each other.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the sentence to define cohesion.

Software Engineering

Cohesion is the degree to which the elements inside a module [1] to perform a single task.

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aare complex

Bare independent

Cwork together

Dinteract externally

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Mixing up cohesion with coupling.

Thinking cohesion is about module independence.

Cohesion means how well the parts inside a module fit together to do one job.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the statement about coupling.

Software Engineering

Low coupling means modules are [1] connected and depend minimally on each other.

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Astrongly

Bloosely

Ctightly

Ddirectly

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Choosing 'strongly' or 'tightly' which imply high coupling.

Confusing low coupling with high cohesion.

Low coupling means modules have loose connections and minimal dependencies.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to complete the description of good software design.

Software Engineering

Good software design aims for [1] cohesion and [2] coupling.

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Ahigh

Blow

Cstrong

Dweak

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Mixing up high and low for cohesion and coupling.

Thinking strong coupling is good.

Good design means modules are focused (high cohesion) and loosely connected (low coupling).

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to complete the example of coupling and cohesion.

Software Engineering

In a module, [1] cohesion means its parts [2] closely, and [3] coupling means it interacts minimally with others.

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Ahigh

Bwork

Clow

Ddepend

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Confusing coupling and cohesion terms.

Choosing 'depend' instead of 'work' for internal relations.

High cohesion means parts work closely together; low coupling means few outside interactions.

Practice

1. What does low coupling in software design mean?

easy

A. Modules have few dependencies on each other

B. Modules perform many unrelated tasks

C. Modules are tightly connected and dependent

D. Modules share all their data freely

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand coupling concept

   Coupling measures how much modules depend on each other.

2. Step 2: Interpret low coupling

   Low coupling means modules have few dependencies, making them independent.

3. Final Answer:

   Modules have few dependencies on each other -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Low coupling = few dependencies [OK]

Hint: Low coupling means less dependency between modules [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing low coupling with high dependency
• Thinking low coupling means modules do many tasks
• Mixing coupling with cohesion concepts

2. Which of the following best describes high cohesion in a module?

easy

A. The module depends heavily on other modules

B. The module performs many unrelated tasks

C. The module focuses on a single, well-defined task

D. The module shares data with all other modules

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand cohesion concept

   Cohesion measures how focused a module is on a single task.

2. Step 2: Interpret high cohesion

   High cohesion means the module focuses on one clear, well-defined task.

3. Final Answer:

   The module focuses on a single, well-defined task -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   High cohesion = single focused task [OK]

Hint: High cohesion means one clear task per module [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking high cohesion means many unrelated tasks
• Confusing cohesion with coupling
• Assuming high cohesion means high dependency

3. Consider two modules: Module A calls Module B frequently and shares many variables. Module C performs one clear task independently. Which statement is true?

medium

A. Module A has low coupling and high cohesion

B. Module A has high coupling and Module C has high cohesion

C. Module B has high cohesion and low coupling

D. Module C has high coupling and Module A has low cohesion

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze Module A and B relationship

   Module A calls Module B frequently and shares many variables, indicating high coupling.

2. Step 2: Analyze Module C's task focus

   Module C performs one clear task independently, indicating high cohesion.

3. Final Answer:

   Module A has high coupling and Module C has high cohesion -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   High coupling = many dependencies; High cohesion = focused task [OK]

Hint: Frequent calls = high coupling; single task = high cohesion [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Mixing which module has high coupling
• Confusing cohesion with coupling
• Assuming independence means low cohesion

4. A software module is designed to handle user input, process data, and generate reports all in one. What is the main problem here?

medium

A. The module has low cohesion

B. The module has low coupling

C. The module is highly focused

D. The module is loosely connected

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify tasks in the module

   The module handles user input, processes data, and generates reports, which are different tasks.

2. Step 2: Assess cohesion level

   Because it does many unrelated tasks, the module has low cohesion.

3. Final Answer:

   The module has low cohesion -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Multiple unrelated tasks = low cohesion [OK]

Hint: Many tasks in one module means low cohesion [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing low cohesion with low coupling
• Thinking multiple tasks mean high cohesion
• Ignoring the definition of cohesion

5. You have a large software system with modules that share many variables and perform multiple unrelated tasks. To improve design, which approach should you take?

hard

A. Increase coupling and decrease cohesion

B. Increase both coupling and cohesion

C. Keep coupling and cohesion as they are

D. Decrease coupling and increase cohesion

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify current design issues

   Modules share many variables (high coupling) and perform unrelated tasks (low cohesion).

2. Step 2: Apply good design principles

   Good design aims for low coupling (less dependency) and high cohesion (focused tasks).

3. Final Answer:

   Decrease coupling and increase cohesion -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Good design = low coupling + high cohesion [OK]

Hint: Aim for less dependency and focused tasks [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking increasing coupling improves design
• Confusing cohesion with coupling
• Ignoring the benefits of modular design