diff --git a/src/proc/mobject/session/query-focus.cpp b/src/proc/mobject/session/query-focus.cpp
index 424c137c6..5bbbf9a73 100644
--- a/src/proc/mobject/session/query-focus.cpp
+++ b/src/proc/mobject/session/query-focus.cpp
@@ -37,6 +37,16 @@ namespace session {
   { }
   
   
+  /** discard any state and clear
+      the current focus path */
+  QueryFocus&
+  QueryFocus::reset ()
+  {
+    scopes_.clear();
+    return *this;
+  }
+  
+  
   /** attach this QueryFocus to a container-like scope,
       causing it to \em navigate, changing the
       current ScopePath as a side-effect 
diff --git a/src/proc/mobject/session/query-focus.hpp b/src/proc/mobject/session/query-focus.hpp
index 2649cf53b..fa8d6343e 100644
--- a/src/proc/mobject/session/query-focus.hpp
+++ b/src/proc/mobject/session/query-focus.hpp
@@ -45,10 +45,12 @@ namespace session {
   class QueryFocus
     {
       ScopePath scopes_;
+      /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////TODO how to integrate the ref-counting handle?
       
     public:
       QueryFocus();
       
+      QueryFocus& reset ();
       QueryFocus& attach (Scope const&);
       static QueryFocus push (Scope const&);
       QueryFocus pop();
@@ -57,16 +59,16 @@ namespace session {
       ScopePath currentPath() const { return scopes_; }
       
       template<class MO>
-      void query(); ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////TODO obviously needs to return an Iterator
+      void query()  const; ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////TODO obviously needs to return an Iterator
     };
 ///////////////////////////TODO currently just fleshing the API
 
   
   template<class MO>
   void
-  QueryFocus::query()
+  QueryFocus::query()  const
   {
-    UNIMPLEMENTED ("how the hell do we issue typed queries?????");
+    UNIMPLEMENTED ("how the hell do we issue typed queries?????");  ///////////////////////TICKET #352
   }
   
   
diff --git a/tests/components/proc/mobject/query-focus-test.cpp b/tests/components/proc/mobject/query-focus-test.cpp
index f3253af4b..d1e621c2d 100644
--- a/tests/components/proc/mobject/query-focus-test.cpp
+++ b/tests/components/proc/mobject/query-focus-test.cpp
@@ -26,22 +26,24 @@
 //#include "proc/mobject/placement-ref.hpp"
 #include "proc/mobject/session/test-scopes.hpp"
 #include "proc/mobject/placement-index.hpp"
+#include "proc/mobject/session/query-focus.hpp"
+#include "proc/mobject/session/scope.hpp"
 //#include "lib/util.hpp"
 
-//#include <iostream>
-//#include <string>
+#include <iostream>
+#include <string>
 
-//using util::isSameObject;
-//using lumiera::Time;
-//using std::string;
-//using std::cout;
-//using std::endl;
 
 
 namespace mobject {
 namespace session {
 namespace test    {
   
+  //using util::isSameObject;
+  //using lumiera::Time;
+  using std::string;
+  using std::cout;
+  using std::endl;
   
   
   /**********************************************************************************
@@ -62,11 +64,94 @@ namespace test    {
           
           // Prepare an (test)Index backing the PlacementRefs
           PPIdx index = build_testScopes();
-//          PMO& root = index->getRoot();
+          PMO& root = index->getRoot();
           
           UNIMPLEMENTED ("unit test to cover query focus management");
           
-//??      ASSERT (0 == index->size());
+          QueryFocus theFocus;
+          theFocus.reset();
+          ASSERT (Scope(root) == Scope(theFocus));
+          
+          checkNavigation (theFocus);
+          
+          Scope scopePosition = Scope(theFocus);
+          manipulate_subFocus();
+          
+          QueryFocus currentFocus;
+          ASSERT (scopePosition == Scope(currentFocus));
+          ASSERT (currentFocus == theFocus);
+        }
+      
+      
+      /** @test move the current focus to various locations
+       *        and discover contents there. */
+      void
+      checkNavigation (QueryFocus& focus)
+        {
+          focus.reset();
+          ASSERT (Scope(focus).isRoot());
+          
+          PMO& someObj = focus.query<TestSubMO1>();
+                         // by construction of the test fixture,
+                         // we know this object is root -> ps2 -> ps3
+          
+          ASSERT (Scope(focus).isRoot());
+          focus.attach (someObj);
+          ASSERT (!Scope(focus).isRoot());
+          ScopePath path = focus.currentPath();
+          ASSERT (someObj == path.getLeaf());
+          ASSERT (path.getParent().getParent().isRoot());
+          
+          focus.attach (path.getParent());
+          ASSERT (Scope(focus) == path.getParent());
+          ASSERT (someObj != Scope(focus));
+          ASSERT (path.contains (focus.currentPath()));
+          ASSERT (focus.currentPath().getParent().isRoot());
+        }
+      
+      
+      /** @test side-effect free manipulation of a sub-focus */
+      void
+      manipulate_subFocus()
+        {
+          QueryFocus original;
+          uint num_refs = original.ref_count();
+          ASSERT (num_refs > 1);
+          
+          QueryFocus subF = QueryFocus::push();
+          cout << string(subF) << endl;
+          ASSERT (subF == original);
+          
+          ASSERT (       1 == subF.ref_count());
+          ASSERT (num_refs == original.ref_count());
+          
+          {
+            QueryFocus subF2 = QueryFocus::push(Scope(subF).getParent());
+            ASSERT (subF2 != subF);
+            ASSERT (subF == original);
+            cout << string(subF2) << endl;
+            
+            Iterator ii = subF2.query<TestSubMO21>();
+            while (ii)
+              {
+                subF2.attach(*ii);
+                cout << string(subF2) << endl;
+                ii = subF2.query<TestSubMO21>();
+              }
+            cout << string(subF2) << "<<<--discovery exhausted" << endl;
+            
+            subF2.pop();
+            cout << string(subF2) << "<<<--after pop()" << endl;
+            ASSERT (subF2 == subF);
+            ASSERT (2 == subF2.ref_count());
+            ASSERT (2 == subF.ref_count());
+          }
+          // subF2 went out of scope, but no auto-pop happens
+          cout << string(subF) << endl;
+          
+          ASSERT (       1 == subF.ref_count());
+          ASSERT (num_refs == original.ref_count());
+         // when subF goes out of scope now, auto-pop will happen...
         }
           
     };
diff --git a/tests/components/proc/mobject/scope-path-test.cpp b/tests/components/proc/mobject/scope-path-test.cpp
index 344e0f215..343104089 100644
--- a/tests/components/proc/mobject/scope-path-test.cpp
+++ b/tests/components/proc/mobject/scope-path-test.cpp
@@ -72,6 +72,7 @@ namespace test    {
           invalildPath (testPath,startPlacement);
           check_Identity_and_Copy (startPlacement);
           navigate (testPath, index);
+          clear (testPath, index);
         }
       
       
@@ -268,6 +269,19 @@ namespace test    {
           ScopePath rootPrefix = commonPrefix (path,refPath);
           ASSERT (rootPrefix.endsAt (root));
         }
+      
+      
+      void
+      clear (ScopePath& testPath, PPIdx index)
+        {
+          ASSERT (path);
+          PMO rootNode = index->getRoot();
+          ASSERT (path.getLeaf() != rootNode);
+          
+          path.clear();
+          ASSERT (path);
+          ASSERT (path.getLeaf() == rootNode);
+        }
           
     };