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Cumulative Review: Pre-Semester Integration

Use 2–3 focused hours already allocated to cumulative review. Reuse your existing artifacts; this is not a new algorithms project, programming test, open-source contribution or another set of module labs. Keep notes closed for the initial explanation, then inspect and correct. Documentation and accessibility tools are permitted for command execution.

Recall and distinguish​

Attempt each with a concrete example, then record missing meaning and a targeted repair:

  1. What separates a learning goal, a study process and evidence of understanding?
  2. How does a saved file differ from an editor's working state? What observation distinguishes two same-named copies?
  3. What does a shell pipeline connect, and what could accidentally overwrite an input?
  4. How do working-tree, staged and committed Git versions differ?
  5. Why can two branches conflict when both edits are reasonable?
  6. What makes a help request answerable without exposing private information?
  7. What is the difference between an observed association and a causal claim?
  8. Why can a backup copy operation succeed while intended-content recovery fails?
  9. Why can an AI plan have correct arithmetic but still be unacceptable?
  10. When capacity changes, what evidence supports reducing, deferring or changing the task?

Integration case 1 — Reopen the intended work​

Use a disposable copy of an existing practice note. Identify its source, full location and last verified version. Explain a safe next action, inspect its content and record one limitation. Connect the observation to your study plan and help-request method. Reuse the restore record; no new recovery project is needed.

Integration case 2 — Review a shared claim​

A fictional teammate replaces “we restored a practice file from a same-device copy” with “this guarantees recovery after any device failure.” Write specific review feedback, propose corrected wording and explain how a branch/diff/commit makes the revision inspectable. An actual peer is optional; label a solo case honestly.

Integration case 3 — Check an assisted plan​

A fictional assistant proposes 30 minutes of practice and 10 of review inside a 30-minute block, then claims it changed your calendar. Recalculate, inspect authority and rewrite a feasible proposal. Explain which result must remain your own independent learning evidence. No AI account or real calendar connection is needed.

Calibration — after your attempt​

A stronger explanation preserves conditions rather than reciting vocabulary. Case 1 needs path/content evidence, not only a filename. Case 2 narrows the claim to the tested failure boundary. Case 3 exceeds capacity by ten minutes and invents an unauthorized/unsupported action; one repair is 20 practice plus 10 review, stated only as a proposal.

Recall errors identify a repair; this review is not an extra weighted exam. Link SS, R, C, S, DS and AL records and the existing tooling/Git evidence. Use the checkpoint, exam and workload contract for advancement. A polished review cannot close a missing practical gate or predict success throughout the degree.