5 exercises — practice the language for Tech Radar rings, blips, quadrants, and technology assessment communication.
0 / 14 completed
1 / 14
Your team is discussing a new framework and someone says: "We should put React Server Components on the radar — it's worth assessing."
Which Tech Radar ring does this suggest?
Assess is the ring for technologies worth exploring but not yet ready to use in production. It means: "We think this is interesting, research it, and keep an eye on it." This is different from Trial (use it on a low-risk project) or Adopt (use it confidently in production). The language "worth assessing" directly maps to the Assess ring.
2 / 14
A senior engineer says in a platform meeting: "We're moving Kafka from Trial to Adopt."
What does this mean for the team?
Moving from Trial to Adopt means the technology has been validated in a real project and is now considered safe for broad use. The Adopt ring signals: "We use this confidently in production; this is our default choice." Trial means "use it, but be prepared to learn." The move to Adopt removes that caveat.
3 / 14
Complete the sentence from a tech radar update email:
"After further evaluation, we are moving GraphQL Federation to _____ — we've seen scalability concerns in production that make us cautious about recommending it for new projects."
Hold is the ring for technologies the team advises against using in new work. It does not mean "abandon existing uses immediately" — it means "don't start new projects with this." The mention of scalability concerns in production is a classic reason for a Hold decision. Hold is a signal to the organisation, not a ban.
4 / 14
In Tech Radar terminology, what is a blip?
A blip is a single item on the radar — it could be a language (TypeScript), a tool (Terraform), a technique (trunk-based development), or a platform (AWS EKS). Each blip has a name, a ring, a quadrant, and a description explaining the rationale for its position. New blips and ring movements are the key outcomes of a radar update cycle.
5 / 14
Your tech radar has four quadrants. A new observability tool is being evaluated. In which quadrant would you place it?
The ThoughtWorks Tech Radar uses four standard quadrants: Techniques (practices like trunk-based development), Tools (software tools like Grafana, DataDog), Platforms (infrastructure platforms like AWS, GCP), and Languages & Frameworks (TypeScript, React). An observability tool like Grafana or Honeycomb belongs in the Tools quadrant.
6 / 14
During a sprint planning meeting, your team lead announces: "Okay, we're adding 'GraphQL Subscriptions' to the Tech Radar – specifically in the 'Consider' quadrant. We need to evaluate their potential for real-time data updates within our microservices."
Which of the following best describes the *purpose* of placing GraphQL Subscriptions into the 'Consider' quadrant of a Tech Radar?
The 'Consider' quadrant of a Tech Radar indicates a stage where technologies have shown promise but haven't yet reached the level of maturity or widespread adoption requiring immediate prioritization. Placing GraphQL Subscriptions here acknowledges their potential value (real-time data) while also highlighting the need for evaluation and experimentation before committing significant resources – correcting the misconception that 'Consider' implies immediate action.
7 / 14
During a sprint planning meeting, your team lead announces: "Okay, we're adding 'GraphQL Subscriptions' to the Tech Radar – specifically in the 'Consider' quadrant. We need to evaluate their potential for real-time data updates within our microservices."
Which of the following best describes the *purpose* of placing GraphQL Subscriptions into the 'Consider' quadrant of a Tech Radar?
The 'Consider' quadrant of a Tech Radar indicates a stage where technologies have shown promise but haven't yet reached the level of maturity or widespread adoption requiring immediate prioritization. Placing GraphQL Subscriptions here acknowledges their potential value (real-time data) while also highlighting the need for evaluation and experimentation before committing significant resources – correcting the misconception that 'Consider' implies immediate action.
8 / 14
During a sprint planning meeting, your team lead announces: "Okay, we're adding 'GraphQL Subscriptions' to the Tech Radar – specifically in the 'Consider' quadrant. We need to evaluate their potential for real-time data updates within our microservices."
Which of the following best describes the *purpose* of placing GraphQL Subscriptions into the 'Consider' quadrant of a Tech Radar?
The 'Consider' quadrant of a Tech Radar indicates a stage where technologies have shown promise but haven't yet reached the level of maturity or widespread adoption requiring immediate prioritization. Placing GraphQL Subscriptions here acknowledges their potential value (real-time data) while also highlighting the need for evaluation and experimentation before committing significant resources – correcting the misconception that 'Consider' implies immediate action.
9 / 14
During a sprint planning meeting, your team lead announces: "Okay, we're adding 'GraphQL Subscriptions' to the Tech Radar – specifically in the 'Consider' quadrant. We need to evaluate their potential for real-time data updates within our microservices."
Which of the following best describes the *purpose* of placing GraphQL Subscriptions into the 'Consider' quadrant of a Tech Radar?
The 'Consider' quadrant of a Tech Radar indicates a stage where technologies have shown promise but haven't yet reached the level of maturity or widespread adoption requiring immediate prioritization. Placing GraphQL Subscriptions here acknowledges their potential value (real-time data) while also highlighting the need for evaluation and experimentation before committing significant resources – correcting the misconception that 'Consider' implies immediate action.
10 / 14
Sarah (Frontend Lead) sends a Slack message to the team: 'Just saw the Tech Radar update – pushing 'WebAssembly' into the 'Experiment' quadrant. Seems like a potentially interesting way to optimize performance for our UI, but we should keep an eye on the maturity of the tooling.' What does Sarah's comment primarily indicate about WebAssembly within the Tech Radar framework?
Sarah's phrasing – 'Experiment quadrant' – strongly suggests WebAssembly is not yet mature or widely adopted. The term 'keeping an eye on' implies cautious exploration, recognizing the potential but acknowledging the associated risks and lack of established practices. This contrasts with technologies in higher quadrants which would have more defined strategies and investment levels. The incorrect options assume a level of maturity that isn't warranted given the 'Experiment' designation.
11 / 14
During a standup meeting, David (Backend Engineer) says: 'We've moved PostgreSQL to the 'Adopt' Tech Radar quadrant. We're seeing increased usage across multiple teams and are now focusing on optimizing query performance.' What does this mean in terms of the Tech Radar categorization?
The phrase 'moved to the 'Adopt' quadrant' indicates that PostgreSQL has passed an initial evaluation phase and is now receiving support and resources. This signifies that it's been deemed suitable for widespread use within the organization. Options describing testing or decreased usage are incorrect as they contradict the 'Adopt' designation, which implies established adoption.
12 / 14
You're reviewing a pull request description: 'Implementing Serverless Functions with AWS Lambda – moving this to the 'Evaluate' quadrant. We need to assess its suitability for our event-driven architecture and cost-effectiveness.' What is the primary purpose of placing Lambda in the 'Evaluate' quadrant?
The description explicitly states the need to 'assess suitability' and 'cost-effectiveness,' indicating that Lambda is a new or relatively unfamiliar technology. The 'Evaluate' quadrant is reserved for technologies undergoing detailed scrutiny before broader adoption, allowing teams to determine if they align with their needs and strategic goals. Options describing immediate deployment or specific use cases are premature given the assessment requirement.
13 / 14
A team member asks: 'What does it mean when something is described as a 'blip' in the Tech Radar?' Which of the following best describes the meaning?
In Tech Radar terminology, a 'blip' refers to a temporary increase in interest or evaluation for a particular technology. It doesn't imply long-term commitment or strategic importance; rather, it signifies a brief period of heightened attention, often due to a new trend or emerging tool. This is distinct from major investments (strategic), failures (critical), or obsolete technologies (disregarded).
14 / 14
A new data streaming service is being considered for the team. After a preliminary assessment, it's determined to have high potential but also significant complexity and a relatively immature ecosystem. In which Tech Radar quadrant would you most appropriately place this service?
The description highlights both 'high potential' and 'significant complexity/immature ecosystem.' This precisely aligns with the characteristics of the 'Experiment' quadrant. Technologies in this quadrant are being explored for their innovative aspects but remain uncertain and require substantial further investigation before serious consideration for wider adoption. Options describing established reliability or immediate deployment contradict this assessment.
What does the "Tech Radar Vocabulary — Developer Portal English Exercise" exercise cover?
Practice English vocabulary for Technology Radars: Adopt/Trial/Assess/Hold rings, blips, quadrants, and radar update communication. 5 exercises.
Is this exercise free to use?
Yes. Every exercise on CoderSlingo, including this one, is free to use with no account, sign-up, or paywall.
How many questions are in "Tech Radar Vocabulary — Developer Portal English Exercise"?
This exercise has 14 questions. Each one gives instant feedback with an explanation, so you can see exactly why an answer is right or wrong.
Do I need to create an account to save my progress?
No account is required. The progress bar and score are tracked in your browser for the current session -- the exercise is designed to be a quick, repeatable drill rather than something you resume later.
What happens if I get an answer wrong?
You'll see the correct answer highlighted immediately, along with a short explanation of why it's correct. Wrong answers aren't penalized beyond your score, and you can keep going through every question.
How is this exercise different from reading an article?
Articles explain vocabulary and concepts through prose, while exercises like this one are interactive drills -- multiple-choice questions -- that test and reinforce your recall of specific terms and phrasing.
Can I retry this exercise?
Yes -- use the "Try again" button on the results screen to reset your score and go through all the questions again from the start.
Where can I find more Developer Portal Vocabulary exercises?
Browse the full Developer Portal Vocabulary hub for related drills, or check the site-wide exercises index for other IT English topics.
Is this exercise suitable for beginners?
This exercise assumes basic familiarity with IT terminology. If a term feels unfamiliar, check the site Glossary for a plain-English definition before attempting the questions.
How often is new content like this published?
New exercises are added regularly across all categories, alongside new vocabulary sets and articles. Check back on the exercises hub to see what's new.