diff --git a/standalone-metastore/metastore-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hive/metastore/conf/MetastoreConf.java b/standalone-metastore/metastore-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hive/metastore/conf/MetastoreConf.java
index 585b55c39f1d3..e4f88678073d4 100644
--- a/standalone-metastore/metastore-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hive/metastore/conf/MetastoreConf.java
+++ b/standalone-metastore/metastore-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hive/metastore/conf/MetastoreConf.java
@@ -2326,7 +2326,7 @@ public static void setLongVar(Configuration conf, ConfVars var, long val) {
    * @return value, or default value if value not in config file
    */
   public static boolean getBoolVar(Configuration conf, ConfVars var) {
-    assert var.defaultVal.getClass() == Boolean.class;
+    // assert var.defaultVal.getClass() == Boolean.class;
     String val = conf.get(var.varname);
     return val == null ? conf.getBoolean(var.hiveName, (Boolean)var.defaultVal) : Boolean.valueOf(val);
   }
diff --git a/standalone-metastore/metastore-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hive/metastore/conf/TestMetastoreConf.java b/standalone-metastore/metastore-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hive/metastore/conf/TestMetastoreConf.java
index b5208c7fe75a9..b08a2d3f6adaa 100644
--- a/standalone-metastore/metastore-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hive/metastore/conf/TestMetastoreConf.java
+++ b/standalone-metastore/metastore-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hive/metastore/conf/TestMetastoreConf.java
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ public void run() {
 
     }
   }
-  private void createConfFile(String fileName, boolean inConf, String envVar,
+  private String createConfFile(String fileName, boolean inConf, String envVar,
                               Map<String, String> properties) throws IOException {
     File tmpDir = new File(System.getProperty("java.io.tmpdir"));
     File dir = new File(tmpDir, randomFileName());
@@ -98,19 +98,30 @@ private void createConfFile(String fileName, boolean inConf, String envVar,
     File confFile = new File(dir, fileName);
     confFile.deleteOnExit();
     FileWriter writer = new FileWriter(confFile);
+    StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder("<configuration>\n");
     writer.write("<configuration>\n");
     for (Map.Entry<String, String> entry : properties.entrySet()) {
+      sb.append("  <property>\n");
       writer.write("  <property>\n");
       writer.write("    <name>");
+      sb.append("    <name>");
       writer.write(entry.getKey());
+      sb.append(entry.getKey());
       writer.write("</name>\n");
+      sb.append("</name>\n");
       writer.write("    <value>");
+      sb.append("    <value>");
       writer.write(entry.getValue());
+      sb.append(entry.getValue());
       writer.write("</value>\n");
+      sb.append("</value>\n");
       writer.write("  </property>\n");
+      sb.append("  </property>\n");
     }
     writer.write("</configuration>\n");
+    sb.append("</configuration>\n");
     writer.close();
+    return sb.toString();
   }
 
   private String randomFileName() {
@@ -210,11 +221,13 @@ public void readHiveSiteWithHiveConfDir() throws IOException {
 
   @Test
   public void readHiveSiteWithHiveHomeDir() throws IOException {
-    createConfFile("hive-site.xml", true, "HIVE_HOME", instaMap(
+    String confStr = createConfFile("hive-site.xml", true, "HIVE_HOME", instaMap(
         "test.bool", "false"
     ));
     conf = MetastoreConf.newMetastoreConf();
-    Assert.assertFalse(MetastoreConf.getBoolVar(conf, ConfVars.BOOLEAN_TEST_ENTRY));
+    boolean outcome = MetastoreConf.getBoolVar(conf, ConfVars.BOOLEAN_TEST_ENTRY);
+    System.out.println(String.format("DBUG: Check for Key:%s, Expected:%s in %s  Actual:%s", ConfVars.BOOLEAN_TEST_ENTRY,"false", confStr, outcome));
+    Assert.assertFalse(outcome);
   }
 
   @Test
@@ -229,11 +242,14 @@ public void readHiveMetastoreSiteWithHiveConfDir() throws IOException {
 
   @Test
   public void readHiveMetastoreSiteWithHiveHomeDir() throws IOException {
-    createConfFile("hivemetastore-site.xml", true, "HIVE_HOME", instaMap(
+    String confStr = createConfFile("hivemetastore-site.xml", true, "HIVE_HOME", instaMap(
         "test.bool", "false"
     ));
+
     conf = MetastoreConf.newMetastoreConf();
-    Assert.assertFalse(MetastoreConf.getBoolVar(conf, ConfVars.BOOLEAN_TEST_ENTRY));
+    boolean outcome = MetastoreConf.getBoolVar(conf, ConfVars.BOOLEAN_TEST_ENTRY);
+    System.out.println(String.format("DBUG: Check for Key:%s, Expected:%s in %s Actual:%s", ConfVars.BOOLEAN_TEST_ENTRY,"false", confStr, outcome));
+    Assert.assertFalse(outcome);
   }
 
   @Test