5 exercises on the verb collocations used with different types of software tests: regression, smoke, code review, penetration, and test suite execution.
0 / 5 completed
1 / 5
QA is ___ regression tests to make sure the new feature didn't break existing functionality.
Run — the dominant verb for executing a test suite:
Run regression tests is the standard, idiomatic collocation in QA and development. "Run" is the go-to verb whenever tests are being executed, regardless of type.
Why "run"? The verb "run" maps directly to how tests are invoked in practice: you "run" a command in the terminal, you "run" a pipeline, you "run" a test suite. The mental model is consistent: run = execute.
Regression testing vocabulary:
run regression tests → execute the full test suite against the existing codebase
introduce a regression → accidentally break something that worked before
catch a regression → a test detects the accidental breakage
prevent regressions → the purpose of regression tests
"Make" and "do" do not collocate with "regression tests" — they are the wrong grammatical category here. "Execute" is grammatically correct and used in formal QA documentation, but in daily team communication, "run" is the natural choice.
Note on "executing": You may see "execute" in formal test management tools (TestRail uses "execute a test case"), but in spoken English among developers, "run" dominates.
2 / 5
We ___ a smoke test after each deployment to verify the critical paths work.
Perform, run, and do — all three collocate with "smoke test":
Unlike some test types, "smoke test" is flexible enough to collocate naturally with three different verbs. All are heard in real teams:
Run a smoke test: The most informal and common in developer conversation. "CI runs a smoke test on every deploy." Natural in Slack messages and stand-ups.
Perform a smoke test: More formal register. Used in runbooks, test plans, and documentation. "The deployment script performs a smoke test against the health endpoint."
Do a smoke test: Informal but widely used, especially in spoken English. "Let's do a quick smoke test before we call it done."
What is a smoke test? The name comes from hardware testing — power on a circuit board and see if anything "smokes" (catches fire). In software, it means: run the most critical tests first to check the system hasn't fundamentally broken. Also called a sanity check or build verification test (BVT).
Related phrases:
"The smoke tests are green." → basic functionality confirmed
"It failed the smoke test." → a critical path is broken
"Just do a smoke test — no need for the full suite." → quick verification
3 / 5
The new hire ___ a code review on Alice's PR before it was merged.
Conduct and do — two valid registers for "code review":
Both conduct a code review and do a code review are correct, and you will encounter both in English-speaking tech teams. The choice depends on formality:
Conduct a code review: The formal, professional register. Used in documentation, performance reviews, and written reports. "Each PR must have at least two engineers conduct a code review before merging." "Conducted" implies a structured, deliberate process.
Do a code review: The informal, everyday register. Used in Slack, stand-ups, and casual team conversation. "Can you do a quick code review on my PR?" Very natural in spoken English.
Also acceptable:
review a PR / review the code → shortest form, most common on GitHub/GitLab: "Could you review my PR?"
perform a code review → formal, similar to "conduct"
"Made a code review" is not a standard English collocation — avoid it.
Code review collocations to know:
leave / add a comment → "She left a comment on line 42"
request changes → "He requested changes on the PR"
approve the PR → "Two approvals required before merge"
4 / 5
The security team ___ a penetration test on the new API endpoints.
Perform, run, and conduct — all collocate with "penetration test":
Penetration testing (pen testing) is a formal security activity, and it collocates naturally with multiple verbs depending on context:
Conduct a penetration test: The most formal register. Used in security audit reports, compliance documents, and SOC 2 evidence packages. "The organisation conducts an annual penetration test." This is the most common choice in written professional contexts.
Perform a penetration test: Also formal and widely used in security documentation. Nearly interchangeable with "conduct" in this context.
Run a penetration test: Less formal, more natural in spoken conversation and team Slack. "The security team ran a pen test last week."
Penetration testing vocabulary:
commission a pen test → hire an external party to do it
scope a pen test → define what is in and out of scope
carry out a pen test → British English alternative to "perform"
exploit a vulnerability → the pen tester actively takes advantage of a weakness
report the findings → document the vulnerabilities found
remediate the findings → fix the identified issues
Abbreviations: "pen test" or "pentest" (noun/verb) are standard short forms.
5 / 5
___ the test suite takes about 12 minutes on the CI server.
Running and executing — both correct for describing test suite execution time:
Both running the test suite and executing the test suite are grammatically correct and used in engineering contexts.
Running (most natural): The everyday, idiomatic choice. "Running the full test suite takes 20 minutes" — this is what you would say in a stand-up, a Slack message, or a team discussion.
Executing (formal): Used in technical documentation, performance benchmarks, and CI/CD pipeline descriptions. "Executing the test suite on a 4-core runner completes in approximately 12 minutes."
Why "making" is wrong: "Make" does not collocate with "test suite" in the sense of running it. "Make" is used to create or build things — "make a test" means write a test. You never say "making the test suite" to mean running it.
CI/CD timing vocabulary:
"The pipeline takes / runs in / completes in 12 minutes."
"Build time is 12 minutes." → nominal form, common in discussions about pipeline speed
"The tests are slow / fast / flaky." → adjective collocations for test quality
optimise / speed up / parallelise the test suite → common engineering goals
What does the "Software Testing Types — Collocations Quiz" exercise practise?
5 exercises on the verb collocations used with different types of software tests: regression, smoke, code review, penetration, and test suite execution.
How many questions are in this exercise?
This exercise has 5 questions, each multiple-choice with an explanation shown after you answer.
What English level is this exercise for?
This exercise is tagged Intermediate. If the vocabulary feels difficult, browse Testing Collocations for a related exercise to start with instead.
Is this exercise free to use?
Yes. Every exercise on CoderSlingo, including this one, is free with no account, sign-up, or paywall.
Do I get feedback if I answer incorrectly?
Yes — whichever option you choose, right or wrong, you'll immediately see an explanation clarifying the correct collocation and why the other options don't fit.
Can I retry this exercise?
Yes — once you finish all the questions, a "Try again" button on the results screen resets the exercise so you can practise as many times as you like.
Do I need an account to track my progress?
No account is required. Your progress and score for this session are tracked in the browser as you go, but nothing is saved once you leave the page.
Is "Software Testing Types — Collocations Quiz" part of a larger series?
Yes — it's one exercise in Testing Collocations. See that category page for the full list of related collocation exercises.
Can I link directly to this exercise?
Yes — this exercise has its own permanent URL, so you can bookmark it or share the link directly with a colleague or study partner.
Where can I find more exercises like this one?
See Testing Collocations for related exercises, or browse the main Collocations hub for other IT English word pairings.