D426 DATA MANAGEMENT
FOUNDATIONS - COMPREHENSIVE
EXAM PRACTICE QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS
1. Which normal form deals specifically with removing transitive dependencies, where a non-
key attribute depends on another non-key attribute?
A. First Normal Form (1NF)
B. Third Normal Form (3NF)
C. Second Normal Form (2NF)
D. Boyce-Codd Normal Form (BCNF)
Answer: B
Conceptual Explanation: Third Normal Form (3NF) requires a table to be in 2NF and have
no transitive dependencies, meaning all non-key attributes must depend only on the
primary key.
,2. In a database relationship, what does ‘modality’ refer to?
A. The minimum number of occurrences, indicating if a relationship is optional or
mandatory
B. The maximum number of occurrences in a relationship
C. The data type of the foreign key
D. The sequence in which tables are joined
Answer: A
Conceptual Explanation: Modality (or participation) defines the minimum number of
times an instance in one entity can be associated with an instance in the related entity (0
for optional, 1 for mandatory).
3. Which SQL command is used to add a new column to an existing table?
A. UPDATE TABLE
B. ALTER TABLE
C. CHANGE TABLE
D. MODIFY TABLE
Answer: B
Conceptual Explanation: The ALTER TABLE command is part of Data Definition Language
(DDL) and is used to add, delete, or modify columns in an existing table structure.
, 4. Which of the following describes the ‘Atomicity’ property of the ACID model?
A. Ensures that a transaction is treated as a single unit, which either succeeds completely
or fails completely
B. Ensures that data is saved permanently after a transaction
C. Ensures that concurrent transactions do not interfere with each other
D. Ensures that a database remains in a valid state after a transaction
Answer: A
Conceptual Explanation: Atomicity ensures that all operations within a transaction are
completed; if any part fails, the entire transaction is rolled back.
5. A composite key is defined as:
A. A primary key that is automatically generated by the DBMS
B. A key that allows null values
C. A key that refers to the primary key of another table
D. A primary key consisting of two or more attributes
Answer: D
Conceptual Explanation: A composite key uses multiple columns together to uniquely
identify a row in a table when a single column is insufficient.
FOUNDATIONS - COMPREHENSIVE
EXAM PRACTICE QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS
1. Which normal form deals specifically with removing transitive dependencies, where a non-
key attribute depends on another non-key attribute?
A. First Normal Form (1NF)
B. Third Normal Form (3NF)
C. Second Normal Form (2NF)
D. Boyce-Codd Normal Form (BCNF)
Answer: B
Conceptual Explanation: Third Normal Form (3NF) requires a table to be in 2NF and have
no transitive dependencies, meaning all non-key attributes must depend only on the
primary key.
,2. In a database relationship, what does ‘modality’ refer to?
A. The minimum number of occurrences, indicating if a relationship is optional or
mandatory
B. The maximum number of occurrences in a relationship
C. The data type of the foreign key
D. The sequence in which tables are joined
Answer: A
Conceptual Explanation: Modality (or participation) defines the minimum number of
times an instance in one entity can be associated with an instance in the related entity (0
for optional, 1 for mandatory).
3. Which SQL command is used to add a new column to an existing table?
A. UPDATE TABLE
B. ALTER TABLE
C. CHANGE TABLE
D. MODIFY TABLE
Answer: B
Conceptual Explanation: The ALTER TABLE command is part of Data Definition Language
(DDL) and is used to add, delete, or modify columns in an existing table structure.
, 4. Which of the following describes the ‘Atomicity’ property of the ACID model?
A. Ensures that a transaction is treated as a single unit, which either succeeds completely
or fails completely
B. Ensures that data is saved permanently after a transaction
C. Ensures that concurrent transactions do not interfere with each other
D. Ensures that a database remains in a valid state after a transaction
Answer: A
Conceptual Explanation: Atomicity ensures that all operations within a transaction are
completed; if any part fails, the entire transaction is rolled back.
5. A composite key is defined as:
A. A primary key that is automatically generated by the DBMS
B. A key that allows null values
C. A key that refers to the primary key of another table
D. A primary key consisting of two or more attributes
Answer: D
Conceptual Explanation: A composite key uses multiple columns together to uniquely
identify a row in a table when a single column is insufficient.
