What is a valid objective for testing?

The objective of testing is fundamentally about ensuring the quality and performance of a software product before it is released. Among the options presented, the goal of finding as many failures as possible so that defects can be corrected directly aligns with the primary purpose of testing. This approach focuses on identifying issues that might affect the functionality, usability, and overall user experience of the software, allowing the development team to address these flaws prior to deployment.

By finding failures, testers provide critical feedback to developers, facilitating the refinement of the product and enhancing its reliability. The more issues discovered during testing, the more chances there are to fix these problems before the software reaches the end users, thereby improving customer satisfaction and reducing potential post-release issues.

In contrast, starting testing late in the development cycle limits the time available for fixing defects, while proving that all possible defects are identified or demonstrating that remaining defects will not cause failures sets unrealistic expectations. Testing is inherently about exploration and reduction of risk, not absolute assurance. Therefore, option B encapsulates the valid objective of testing by emphasizing the importance of defect identification and rectification.