Answer key: The InfoWorld developer IQ test

Now that you know how you scored, you probably want to know why. Check out the answers below for the gory details. And be sure to check out our Geek IQ Test to measure your mettle where it really matters.

Question 1: What is the relationship between Java and JavaScript?

5 points

d. There is none; it’s all just marketing.

Netscape changed the name of the language from LiveScript as part of a deal with Sun Microsystems.

Question 2: How did Hungarian Notation get its name?

5 points

b. Its inventor was Hungarian

Charles Simonyi, who was born in Budapest, developed the Hungarian notation convention, in which the name of a variable indicates its type or intended use.

Question 3: Which language featured the first JIT (just-in-time) compiler?

5 points

c. Smalltalk

One implementation of Smalltalk featured a JIT compiler in the early 1980s.

Question 4: Which language is known for generating threaded code?

5 points

c. Forth

Not to be confused with multithreaded applications, threaded code consists almost entirely of subroutines. Forth is notable in that many implementations of the language use this approach.

Question 5: Which language is NOT a successor to Pascal?

5 points

a. Python

Python has little in common with Pascal, although it does inherit some characteristics from Modula-3, one of Pascal’s other successor languages.

Question 6: Which beverage contains the most sugar and caffeine?

5 points

a. Sunkist Orange

Sunkist Orange contains just as much caffeine as runner-up Dr. Pepper but surpasses it in sugar content.

Question 7: What is the best way to write type-safe assembly language?

5 points

d. Devout prayer

Because assembly language does not recognize data types in the way that higher-level languages do, prayer may be your only hope.

Question 8: Which is NOT a central tenet of extreme programming?

5 points

c. Debugging is for wimps

Maybe the greatest programmer on Earth can get away with not debugging, but you can’t.

Question 9: Why are race conditions a problem in modern software development?

5 points

d. Processes that share the same memory can produce unexpected results

In today’s multithreaded environments, the problem of different threads competing to access the same memory is a growing concern.

Question 10: Why is Ruby considered a “pure” object-oriented language?

5 points

b. Because Ruby makes no distinction between objects and primitive types

In Ruby, primitive data types — such as integers and floats — have methods just like other objects.

Question 11: When is it safe to accept user input without validation?

5 points

b. Never; any program that accepts input can be exploited

Always, always, always validate user input, no matter how or when you receive it.

Question 12: What is the best way to write reusable, maintainable code?

5 points

c. Insert comments throughout your source code files

Documenting your code is the best way to ensure that another programmer can understand it. All the other choices are recipes for disaster.

Question 13: Who did NOT invent a programming language in current use?

5 points

a. Andrew S. Tanenbaum

Andrew S. Tanenbaum invented the Minix operating system, which was an inspiration to Linus Torvalds, but he did not invent a programming language.

Question 14: To what concept does “the mythical man-month” refer?

5 points

c. The fallacy that assigning more staff to a programming job will complete it faster

As explained in the seminal book of the same name, nine women can’t make a baby in a month.

Question 15: Is P equal to NP?

5 points

d. I don’t know

This is one of the most important unsolved problems in computational science. If you actually did know the answer, you would be rich now.

Question 16: Which is the best data type to use for financial figures?

5 points

c. Integer

Integers can be used to implement fixed-precision math. Floating-point numbers, whether single or double precision, aren’t accurate enough to keep track of finances.

Question 17: For what achievement is Brian Kernighan best known?

5 points

b. He was co-creator of AWK, a programming language for text processing

Kernighan is known as the “K” in the K&R C language specification, but he didn’t create the language; he just helped Dennis Ritchie document it.

Question 18: Which is NOT a Turing-complete language?

5 points

d. SQL

Standard SQL can’t do loops, although you can get Turing completeness with proprietary extensions to the language from certain vendors.

Question 19: Which group has affected object-oriented programming the most?

5 points

a. The Gang of Four

Erich Gamma, Richard Helm, Ralph Johnson, and John Vlissides — known colloquially as “the Gang of Four” — wrote the definitive work on design patterns for object-oriented programming.

Question 20: Which is NOT a data structure?

5 points

b. Twisted pair

Twisted pair is a type of network cable, not a data structure.

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