System Design · interview question
Which approach is the strongest way to start a senior system-design answer?
Multiple choiceEasychapter-20-curatedpremiumsystem-designdefending-tradeoffs
Answer and explanation
Correct answer
C. Clarify assumptions, constraints, and the failure modes that matter most.
Why
Senior design rounds reward judgment under uncertainty. Clarifying assumptions, constraints, and high-impact failure modes shows that your architecture will be driven by business reality rather than by memorized diagrams.
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