Which of the following best describes static testing?

Static testing is best described as reviewing documentation and code without execution. This type of testing involves analyzing and evaluating the software's artifacts, such as requirement specifications, design documents, source code, and other related documentation, to identify potential defects early in the development process. It is a proactive approach to quality assurance that aims to uncover issues before they become more costly to fix later in the software development lifecycle.

Unlike dynamic testing, which requires executing the actual software to observe its behavior and find defects, static testing focuses on evaluating the code and documentation for quality through reviews, inspections, and static analysis tools. This early intervention helps teams reduce the number of defects that make it into later stages of development or into production.

The other choices represent processes associated with dynamic testing or defect resolution, which do not align with the definition of static testing. Thus, reviewing documentation and code without execution stands as the accurate description of static testing practices.