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Reuse and system reliability

publish date: 2026/05/29 09:03:23.077638 UTC

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One motivation for reuse-oriented software engineering is to improve system reliability by relying on components that have already been exercised in other contexts.

Which statement best explains why reuse can improve reliability?

Reusable components never contain defects when first delivered.

Reusable components may have been used and tested in many different systems before.

Reusable components are always mathematically proven to be correct.

Reusable components remove the need for any system-level testing.

Correct Answer

Reusable components may have been used and tested in many different systems before.

Explanation

Components that have been deployed in multiple systems are likely to have had many faults discovered and removed, so reusing them can improve overall reliability compared with entirely new code.

Reference

Software Engineering, Ian Sommerville, 9th edition

Quizzes you can take where this question appears

Reuse‑Oriented Software Engineering