A potential pitfall to avoid in pair programming is:

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Allowing one person to dominate the session and dictate all decisions undermines the core goals of pair programming and is therefore a key pitfall to avoid.

1) Relevant knowledge points and concepts
- Pair programming involves two complementary roles: driver (types and implements) and navigator (reviews, thinks strategically).  
- Goals: knowledge sharing, collective code ownership, continuous review, faster defect detection, mentoring and cross-training.  
- Best practices: rotate roles, encourage active participation from both partners, and periodically switch pairs to broaden perspective.

2) Step-by-step reasoning
- If one person dominates, the navigator becomes passive, reducing real-time peer review and feedback.  
- Dominance prevents the less assertive partner from practicing problem-solving, which reduces learning and limits redundancy in knowledge (single point of failure).  
- Decisions made without mutual discussion increase the risk of unchecked mistakes and decrease team buy-in.  
- Over time, domination erodes trust and reduces the pairing’s productivity and the broader team’s code familiarity.

3) Calculations / intermediate steps
- Not applicable for this conceptual question. (No numerical computation required.)

4) Why the correct answer is correct
- Option b explicitly describes the harmful behavior that counters pair programming’s objectives: domination leads to poor collaboration, reduced learning, and weaker code quality. Avoiding this behavior is essential to realize the benefits of pairing.

5) Why the other options are incorrect
- a. Regularly switching pairs is a recommended practice to spread knowledge and perspective, not a pitfall.  
- c. Ensuring both individuals take turns in driver and navigator roles is a best practice that prevents domination and fosters learning.  
- d. Encouraging the navigator to actively participate and offer suggestions is also a recommended behavior to maximize the effectiveness of pairing.

6) Conclusion
The correct answer is b. Allowing one person to dominate the session and dictate all decisions is a potential pitfall to avoid in pair programming. This matches the provided answer.

A potential pitfall to avoid in pair programming is:Single choice

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