Types of Questions in Computer Science Education - Guide to Teaching Computer Science: An Activity-Based Approach - page 163

Variations : Variations (4) and (5) of Type3 questions—tracing a given solution—
can be viewed also as variations of this type of questions.
Discussion : In this type of question, the learner is required to analyze the code
execution and to understand it as a whole. Specifically, in order to solve such ques-
tions, learners should exhibit mainly two cognitive skills: understanding program-
ming structures and understanding the logic of a given code. Therefore, a higher
level of thinking is needed to solve such questions than that needed for solving a
tracing question; accordingly, this type of question is considered harder than the
“tracing a given code” type of question.

9.2.5 Type5. Finding the Purpose of a Given Solution

Description : A given solution to an unknown problem is presented and the learners
are asked to state the purpose of the solution, that is, to determine what problem it
solves.
Example of a general pattern : Look at the given method and write the method
target, that is, what is the problem that the method solves?
Variations : A “finding the purpose of a given solution” question can relate to
either: (a) a sequence of instructions; (b) a single method (like in the presented ex-
ample of a general pattern); (c) a full program; (d) a class.
Discussion : This type of questions is considered harder than tasks that ask to
develop a solution for a given problem. For solving this type of questions, a set of
cognitive skills is required. Specifically, in addition to the understanding of the code
execution and the ability to trace it, one should comprehend someone else's way of
thinking.
To help students solve this type of questions, a question can contain scaffold-
ing subquestions. For example, a question can include several tracing subquestions
(Type3 questions), which aim to guide the students to discover the purpose of the
code.

9.2.6 Type6. Examination of the Correctness of a Given Solution

Description : A given problem and its solution are presented. The student is asked to
determine whether the given solution solves the given problem correctly.
Example : The following method was written by a student as a solution for the
following problem:
Write a method that returns true if all values of a given array of integers are
equals; otherwise, it returns false .
Is the method correct?