Software Development Concepts

The correct answer uses a proper FOR EACH loop structure that iterates through each server in the server list, checks the online status with an IF-THEN-ELSE conditional statement, and performs the appropriate action based on the condition.

This pseudocode correctly implements the requirements:
- It uses FOR EACH to iterate through all servers in the list
- It checks IF the server status equals online
- If online (THEN), it copies the log files
- If offline (ELSE), it writes the server name to an error report
- The loop structure ensures it continues to the next server automatically after each iteration

The second option is incorrect because it uses a WHILE loop that doesn't properly iterate through the list, and it illogically performs BOTH copy_logs AND write_to_error_report when the server is online, which contradicts the requirements.

The third option has a syntax error with misplaced ELSE and END IF statements. The ELSE clause appears after END IF, which creates invalid pseudocode structure and would not execute properly.

The fourth option uses non-standard pseudocode keywords like WHEN/OTHERWISE instead of the conventional IF/THEN/ELSE structure, includes redundant elements like "proceed_to_next_iteration" which is unnecessary in a FOR EACH loop, and has awkward termination syntax with "END FOR EACH loop" that doesn't follow standard pseudocode conventions.

The correct answer accurately describes the fundamental distinction between parameters and arguments in programming.

In function terminology:
- A parameter is the variable name listed in the function definition (also called a formal parameter). It acts as a placeholder or local variable that will receive data when the function is called.
- An argument is the actual value or data passed to the function when it is invoked (also called an actual parameter).

In this scenario:
- quantityChanged is the parameter - it's defined in the function signature logTransaction(transactionID, itemSKU, quantityChanged, timestamp) and serves as a local variable placeholder within the function.
- -15 is the argument - it's the actual value being passed in the function call logTransaction(78234, 'WIDGET-001', -15, '2024-03-15T14:30:00').

Why the other answers are incorrect:

The second option reverses the terminology completely, incorrectly stating that quantityChanged is an argument and -15 is a parameter. This is backwards.

The third option incorrectly claims both are parameters. Parameters exist only in function definitions, not in function calls. The value -15 in the function call is an argument, not a parameter.

The fourth option incorrectly describes quantityChanged as a global variable reference. Parameters are local to the function scope, not global variables. This fundamentally misrepresents how function parameters work in programming.

Let's trace through the nested IF-ELSE logic step by step with the given values (request_rate = 1200, error_rate = 3, latency = 250):

1. First, the outer IF condition is evaluated: request_rate > 1000. Since 1200 > 1000, this is TRUE.

2. Because the outer condition is true, we enter the nested block and evaluate: error_rate > 5. Since 3 is NOT greater than 5, this is FALSE.

3. Because the error_rate condition returned false, the ELSE IF branch is executed next, which checks: latency > 200. Since 250 > 200, this is TRUE.

4. Therefore, scaling_action is set to 'Performance Scale'.

The correct answer explains this sequential evaluation correctly: the outer IF was true, the error_rate check failed (returned false), and then execution proceeded to the chained ELSE IF statement which evaluated the latency threshold. This is standard nested conditional logic where ELSE IF branches are only evaluated when previous conditions in the same chain return false.

The other answers are incorrect because:

• One answer suggests conditions are evaluated in parallel - this is wrong because nested IF-ELSE structures use sequential, not parallel evaluation.

• Another answer claims both conditions were assessed simultaneously with latency taking precedence due to higher value - this misunderstands how conditional branching works. The value magnitude doesn't determine precedence; the structure and evaluation order do.

• The last answer incorrectly states the error_rate condition was skipped due to optimization - the error_rate condition WAS evaluated (and returned false), it wasn't skipped. The sequential flow then moved to the ELSE IF branch as designed.