Assessment 004 - Summative (Java Version)

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📚 Learning Outcomes Assessed

This assessment evaluates your understanding of:

• Data Structures (Lists, Maps)
• Data Manipulation
• String Formatting
• Loops
• CLI Commands (Conceptual)
• APIs (Conceptual)

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🧩 Assessment Structure

This assessment contains two sections:

1️⃣ Coding Assessment (50%)

You must implement the required methods inside:

Summative.java

Your code must:

• Compile successfully
• Follow the provided method signatures
• Pass all JUnit tests

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2️⃣ Long Questions (50%)

You must answer conceptual questions inside:

answers.txt

⚠️ Rules:

• Do NOT remove the comments
• Write your answers below each question
• Use clear explanations and examples

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🎯 Your Goal

💻 Coding Section

Implement all methods in:

Summative.java

Ensure:

• Code compiles
• Logic works correctly
• All 191 tests pass

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🧠 Theory Section

Complete all questions in:

answers.txt

Provide clear and structured explanations.

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📁 Project Structure

summative-maven/
├── pom.xml
├── src/
│   ├── main/
│   │   └── java/
│   │       └── com/
│   │           └── assessment/
│   │               └── Summative.java
│   └── test/
│       └── java/
│           └── com/
│               └── assessment/
│                   └── SummativeTest.java
├── answers.txt
├── loadshedding.json
└── README.md

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⚙️ Requirements

You must have the following installed:

• ☕ Java 17
• 📦 Maven
• 🌐 Internet connection (to download dependencies)

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🚀 How to Run Tests

▶ Run all tests

mvn test

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▶ Run a specific test class

mvn -Dtest=SummativeTest test

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▶ Run a specific test method

mvn -Dtest=SummativeTest#testBatchApiDispatcherLogic test

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🧪 Testing Framework

This project uses:

• JUnit 5
• Maven Surefire Plugin

All tests are located in:

src/test/java/com/assessment/

Your goal is to make all tests pass successfully.

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📌 Coding Questions Overview

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1️⃣ Question 1 — batchApiDispatcher

The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) needs to send SMS notifications to citizens.

However, the SMS gateway has a strict rule:

⚠️ Maximum 5 users per request

Your job is to split a list of user IDs into batches of 5.

Example Input

["ID1","ID2","ID3","ID4","ID5","ID6","ID7"]

Expected Output

[
 ["ID1","ID2","ID3","ID4","ID5"],
 ["ID6","ID7"]
]

Rules

• Maximum 5 IDs per batch
• Maintain original order
• Do not lose data
• Do not modify the original list

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2️⃣ Question 2 — winningStreak

The Springboks rugby team is on tour.

Match results are recorded as:

"W" → Win
"L" → Loss

Your task is to determine the longest consecutive sequence of wins.

Example Input

["W","L","W","W","L","W","W","W"]

Expected Output

3

Because the longest streak of "W" is 3 in a row.

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3️⃣ Question 3 — peakFinder

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) is monitoring temperature spikes.

A local peak occurs when a temperature is:

• greater than the value before it
• greater than the value after it

Example Input

[30,32,31,35,33,36,34]

Expected Output

[32,35,36]

Rules

• Ignore first and last elements
• A peak must be strictly greater than neighbours
• Return peaks in the same order

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4️⃣ Question 4 — stageSummary

Eskom recorded loadshedding incidents across South Africa.

Each record contains information like:

• stage
• duration_hours
• area
• municipality
• province

Your function only needs:

stage
duration_hours

You must calculate total hours per stage.

Example Input

[
 {stage:2, duration_hours:2.5},
 {stage:4, duration_hours:4.0}
]

Expected Output

{
 "Stage 2": 2.5,
 "Stage 4": 4.0
}

Rules

• Sum duration_hours per stage
• Format keys like:

"Stage 2"

• Round totals to 2 decimal places
• Return empty Map if no records

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5️⃣ Question 5 — drawTriangle

The Drakensberg Hiking Club needs a terminal badge generator.

The badge is a hollow triangle made from * characters.

Rules

• Triangle must be centered
• First row → 1 star
• Middle rows → 2 stars
• Last row → solid stars
• Width =

2 * height - 1

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Example

Height:

5

Triangle:

    *
   * *
  *   *
 *     *
*********

Return:

[
"    *",
"   * *",
"  *   *",
" *     *",
"*********"
]

Trailing spaces are not required.

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📝 Long Format Questions

Answer these questions inside:

answers.txt

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🖥️ Question 1 — Linux Navigation & File Management

You are working on a Linux server in Sandton.

Complete the following tasks:

1. List files and folders
2. Move into folder config
3. Read contents of settings.conf
4. Create folder backup
5. Copy settings.conf into backup
6. Delete server.log

Explain:

• The commands used
• What each command does
• Any potential risks

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🔁 Question 2 — Loops

Explain loops to a junior developer.

Your answer should include:

• What loops are
• Types of loops
• When to use each
• Real programming examples

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🔒 Question 3 — Immutable Data Types

Explain immutable data types in Python.

Include:

• What immutable means
• Examples of immutable types
• Difference between mutable and immutable
• What happens when modification is attempted

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🌐 Question 4 — APIs and HTTP

Explain APIs to a non-technical product manager.

Include:

• What an API is
• How HTTP works
• Types of HTTP requests
• What endpoints are
• How mobile apps communicate with servers

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⚠️ Important Rules

❌ Do NOT modify test files

SummativeTest.java

Only modify:

Summative.java
answers.txt

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💡 Tips

• Use ArrayList for lists
• Use HashMap for key-value storage
• Use StringBuilder for building strings
• Use loops carefully

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🏁 Submission Checklist

Before submitting:

✅ All tests pass (mvn test)
✅ Code compiles
✅ answers.txt completed
✅ No test files modified

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📖 Good Luck!

This assessment tests your ability to:

• Think logically
• Work with data structures
• Write clean Java code
• Solve real-world problems

Stay calm, test often, and debug step-by-step 🚀