Arizona State University (ASU) CSE240 Introduction to Programming Languages Midterm Practice Exam

The debugging technique that involves analyzing code step-by-step is breakpoints. This method allows a developer to pause the execution of a program at a specific line of code, enabling them to inspect the current state of the application, including variable values and the call stack at that moment in time.

By utilizing breakpoints, developers gain insight into how the program progresses through its execution flow, which can reveal logical errors or misunderstandings about how the code is supposed to work. This step-by-step analysis is critical for identifying the exact point at which the program deviates from expected behavior.

In contrast, code reviewing involves examining the code by peers to catch errors or suggest improvements but does not involve executing the code. Print debugging uses print statements to output variable values or messages during runtime, but it doesn't provide the interactive and detailed view that breakpoints do. Static analysis analyzes code without executing it, looking for potential issues based on syntax and style rules. Each of these techniques has its own strengths, but for detailed, interactive analysis during execution, breakpoints are the most effective choice.