5 collocation exercises on architecture and design verbs.
0 / 5 completed
1 / 5
The senior engineer will ___ the new service to handle ten times the current load.
To design to scale means to engineer a system with horizontal or vertical growth in mind from the start. Design to scale (or "design for scale") is the standard architecture collocation, as in "design the system to scale elastically." The other options are informal or not real phrases. Architects say "we need to design this service to scale from day one," so design to scale is the precise collocation for building scalability into an architecture at the design phase.
2 / 5
The goal of the refactoring sprint is to ___ the monolith into independent services.
To decouple a monolith means to reduce tight dependencies so services can evolve and deploy independently. Decouple is the precise architecture verb, behind "loose coupling" and "decoupling services." Split away, unplug, and separate out are informal and less precise. Architects say "decouple the payment module from the core," so decouple the monolith is the correct collocation for the effort of removing interdependencies during a migration to microservices.
3 / 5
A good design should ___ the database behind a repository interface so callers do not depend on the implementation.
To abstract the database means to hide implementation details behind an interface, allowing callers to interact with a stable contract. Abstract is the precise design term, as in "abstraction layer" and "abstract over the persistence." Hide out, cover over, and mask away are informal or not technical collocations. Engineers say "abstract the data layer," so abstract the database is the correct collocation for encapsulating implementation details to reduce coupling.
4 / 5
Before the team can add new features, they need to ___ the legacy order-processing module.
To refactor a module means to restructure its internal code without changing external behaviour, improving readability and maintainability. Refactor is the standard engineering term, behind "refactoring sprints" and books like Martin Fowler's "Refactoring." Rework up, clean through, and fix over are not real collocations. Engineers plan "refactoring the legacy module before adding features," so refactor the module is the correct collocation for the internal improvement process.
5 / 5
The architect will ___ the payment flow to make it easier to swap payment providers in the future.
All three verbs — refactor, simplify, and redesign — are valid and natural collocations with a system flow, each carrying a slightly different nuance. Refactor improves code structure without changing behaviour. Simplify reduces complexity. Redesign implies a more thorough rethinking of the flow. In practice, architects use all three depending on the scope: "we are going to redesign the payment flow to make provider-switching easier" is the most natural for this scenario, but all three collocate correctly with "flow" in architecture discussions.