WGU D426 DATA MANAGEMENT
FOUNDATIONS EXAM PREP
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
1. In the relational model, which term is synonymous with a ‘row’ in a table?
A. Tuple
B. Attribute
C. Relation
D. Domain
Answer: A
Conceptual Explanation: In relational database terminology, a row is formally called a
tuple, a column is an attribute, and the table itself is a relation.
2. Which normal form is specifically concerned with removing transitive dependencies?
A. Third Normal Form (3NF)
B. Second Normal Form (2NF)
C. First Normal Form (1NF)
,D. Boyce-Codd Normal Form (BCNF)
Answer: A
Conceptual Explanation: Third Normal Form (3NF) requires that the table is in 2NF and
that all non-key attributes are determined only by the primary key, effectively removing
transitive dependencies.
3. Which SQL command is used to remove all records from a table without deleting the table
structure itself, and is typically faster than DELETE?
A. DROP
B. REMOVE
C. TRUNCATE
D. ALTER
Answer: C
Conceptual Explanation: TRUNCATE is a DDL command that removes all rows from a
table, whereas DROP removes the table structure entirely and DELETE is a DML command
that can be filtered.
4. In an Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD), what does ‘modality’ represent?
A. The minimum number of instances in a relationship (0 or 1)
B. The maximum number of instances in a relationship
C. The specific data type of an attribute
, D. The foreign key connection between tables
Answer: A
Conceptual Explanation: Modality (or participation) refers to the minimum number of
times an instance in one entity can be associated with an instance in the related entity,
often denoted as optional (0) or mandatory (1).
5. Which relational algebra operation filters rows based on a specified condition?
A. Projection (π)
B. Join (⋈)
C. Selection (σ)
D. Union (∪)
Answer: C
Conceptual Explanation: Selection (σ) acts as a filter for rows (horizontal), while
Projection (π) selects specific columns (vertical).
6. What is the primary purpose of a Foreign Key in a relational database?
A. To uniquely identify each record in a table
B. To index data for faster searching
C. To ensure that all values in a column are non-null
D. To enforce referential integrity between two tables
FOUNDATIONS EXAM PREP
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
1. In the relational model, which term is synonymous with a ‘row’ in a table?
A. Tuple
B. Attribute
C. Relation
D. Domain
Answer: A
Conceptual Explanation: In relational database terminology, a row is formally called a
tuple, a column is an attribute, and the table itself is a relation.
2. Which normal form is specifically concerned with removing transitive dependencies?
A. Third Normal Form (3NF)
B. Second Normal Form (2NF)
C. First Normal Form (1NF)
,D. Boyce-Codd Normal Form (BCNF)
Answer: A
Conceptual Explanation: Third Normal Form (3NF) requires that the table is in 2NF and
that all non-key attributes are determined only by the primary key, effectively removing
transitive dependencies.
3. Which SQL command is used to remove all records from a table without deleting the table
structure itself, and is typically faster than DELETE?
A. DROP
B. REMOVE
C. TRUNCATE
D. ALTER
Answer: C
Conceptual Explanation: TRUNCATE is a DDL command that removes all rows from a
table, whereas DROP removes the table structure entirely and DELETE is a DML command
that can be filtered.
4. In an Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD), what does ‘modality’ represent?
A. The minimum number of instances in a relationship (0 or 1)
B. The maximum number of instances in a relationship
C. The specific data type of an attribute
, D. The foreign key connection between tables
Answer: A
Conceptual Explanation: Modality (or participation) refers to the minimum number of
times an instance in one entity can be associated with an instance in the related entity,
often denoted as optional (0) or mandatory (1).
5. Which relational algebra operation filters rows based on a specified condition?
A. Projection (π)
B. Join (⋈)
C. Selection (σ)
D. Union (∪)
Answer: C
Conceptual Explanation: Selection (σ) acts as a filter for rows (horizontal), while
Projection (π) selects specific columns (vertical).
6. What is the primary purpose of a Foreign Key in a relational database?
A. To uniquely identify each record in a table
B. To index data for faster searching
C. To ensure that all values in a column are non-null
D. To enforce referential integrity between two tables
