DBMS MCQ Questions for Placement. 100 Best Multiple Choice Question Answers with Explanation to successfully crack your placement exams and interviews.
DBMS MCQ Questions for Placement
I. Introduction to Database Management Systems (DBMS)
A. What is a DBMS?
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of a Database Management System (DBMS)?
A. To store and retrieve data in an organized way
B. To perform complex mathematical calculations
C. To create presentations and documents
D. To design user interfaces
Question 2: Which of the following is NOT an advantage of using a DBMS?
A. Data redundancy
B. Data consistency
C. Data security
D. Data integrity
Question 3: Which type of DBMS is specifically designed to handle large volumes of unstructured data, like social media posts and sensor data?
A. Relational DBMS
B. NoSQL DBMS
C. Object-oriented DBMS
D. Hierarchical DBMS
B. Database System Concepts and Architecture
Question 4: What does data abstraction in a DBMS allow us to do?
A. Hide complex storage details from users
B. Perform complex calculations on data
C. Create visual representations of data
D. Access data directly from physical storage
Question 5: Who is responsible for managing the overall database system, including security and access control?
A. Database user
B. Database administrator
C. Application programmer
D. End user
Question 6: Which data model organizes data in a tree-like structure with parent-child relationships?
A. Relational
B. Hierarchical
C. Network
D. Object-oriented
Question 7: Which component of a DBMS is responsible for executing queries written in a language like SQL?
A. Storage manager
B. Query processor
C. Transaction manager
D. Data dictionary
Question 8: What is the highest level of data abstraction in a DBMS?
A. Physical level
B. Logical level
C. View level
D. External level
Question 9: Which component of a DBMS is responsible for ensuring data integrity and consistency during concurrent transactions?
A. Storage manager
B. Query processor
C. Transaction manager
D. Data dictionary
Question 10: What is a schema in the context of a database?
A. A collection of data
B. A description of the database structure
C. A query language
D. A type of index
II. Relational Database Model – DBMS MCQ Questions for Placement
A. Relational Model Concepts
Question 11: What is a tuple in a relational database?
A. A column in a table
B. A row in a table
C. A database operation
D. A data type
Question 12: What is the purpose of a primary key in a relational database?
A. To uniquely identify each tuple in a table
B. To establish a relationship between tables
C. To enforce data integrity constraints
D. To optimize query performance
Question 13: Which relational algebra operation selects tuples that satisfy a specific condition?
A. Projection
B. Selection
C. Join
D. Union
Question 14: What is a foreign key in a relational database?
A. A primary key of a different table
B. A unique key in the same table
C. An attribute that references the primary key of another table
D. An attribute with a null value
Question 15: Which relational algebra operation combines columns from two or more tables based on a common attribute?
A. Projection
B. Selection
C. Join
D. Union
Question 16: What is a candidate key?
A. A minimal set of attributes that can uniquely identify a tuple
B. The primary key of the table
C. A foreign key in the table
D. An attribute with a default value
Question 17: What is the purpose of the projection operation in relational algebra?
A. To select specific rows from a table
B. To select specific columns from a table
C. To combine data from two tables
D. To sort data in a table
Question 18: What is a domain in the context of relational databases?
A. A set of possible values for an attribute
B. A collection of tables
C. A type of relationship between entities
D. A query language
B. Structured Query Language (SQL)
Question 19: Which SQL statement is used to create a new table in a database?
A. CREATE TABLE
B. ALTER TABLE
C. INSERT INTO
D. SELECT * FROM
Question 20: Which SQL statement is used to add a new column to an existing table?
A. CREATE TABLE
B. ALTER TABLE
C. INSERT INTO
D. UPDATE
Question 21: Which SQL statement is used to delete an entire table from a database?
A. DELETE
B. TRUNCATE
C. DROP TABLE
D. REMOVE TABLE
Question 22: Which SQL clause is used to filter data in a SELECT query?
A. WHERE
B. ORDER BY
C. GROUP BY
D. HAVING
Question 23: Which SQL statement is used to add new data into a table?
A. INSERT INTO
B. UPDATE
C. ADD
D. CREATE
Question 24: Which SQL statement is used to modify existing data in a table?
A. INSERT INTO
B. UPDATE
C. MODIFY
D. CHANGE
Question 25: Which SQL statement is used to delete specific rows from a table?
A. DELETE
B. REMOVE
C. TRUNCATE
D. DROP
Question 26: Which SQL keyword is used to retrieve all columns from a table?
A. SELECT *
B. SELECT ALL
C. FETCH *
D. GET *
Question 27: Which SQL statement is used to grant privileges to a user?
A. GRANT
B. REVOKE
C. ALLOW
D. PERMIT
Question 28: Which SQL statement is used to remove privileges from a user?
A. GRANT
B. REVOKE
C. DENY
D. RESTRICT
Question 29: Which SQL constraint ensures that all values in a column are unique?
A. PRIMARY KEY
B. FOREIGN KEY
C. UNIQUE
D. NOT NULL
Question 30: Which SQL constraint prevents null values from being inserted into a column?
A. PRIMARY KEY
B. FOREIGN KEY
C. UNIQUE
D. NOT NULL
Question 31: Which SQL clause is used to combine the results of two SELECT queries, removing duplicate rows?
A. UNION
B. INTERSECT
C. EXCEPT
D. JOIN
Question 32: Which SQL clause is used to combine the results of two SELECT queries, returning only the rows that appear in both result sets?
A. UNION
B. INTERSECT
C. EXCEPT
D. JOIN
Question 33: Which SQL clause is used to combine the results of two SELECT queries, returning only the rows that appear in the first result set but not in the second?
A. UNION
B. INTERSECT
C. EXCEPT
D. JOIN
Question 34: Which SQL clause is used to group rows with the same value in one or more columns?
A. WHERE
B. ORDER BY
C. GROUP BY
D. HAVING
Question 35: Which SQL clause is used to filter groups based on aggregate values?
A. WHERE
B. ORDER BY
C. GROUP BY
D. HAVING
III. Database Design
A. Entity-Relationship (ER) Modeling
Question 36: What does an entity represent in an ER model?
A. A table in a relational database
B. An attribute of an entity
C. A relationship between entities
D. A real-world object or concept
Question 37: What is an attribute in an ER model?
A. A characteristic or property of an entity
B. A relationship between entities
C. A key in a relational database
D. A data type
Question 38: What does a relationship represent in an ER model?
A. An attribute of an entity
B. A connection or association between two or more entities
C. A key in a relational database
D. A data type
Question 39: What does cardinality indicate in an ER model?
A. The number of attributes in an entity
B. The number of entities involved in a relationship
C. The minimum and maximum number of instances of one entity that can be associated with instances of another entity
D. The type of relationship between entities
Question 40: What is participation constraint in an ER model?
A. The number of attributes in an entity
B. Whether the existence of an entity depends on its relationship with another entity
C. The minimum and maximum number of instances of one entity that can be associated with instances of another entity
D. The type of relationship between entities
Question 41: What is the purpose of an ER diagram?
A. To visually represent the entities, attributes, and relationships of a database
B. To write SQL queries
C. To optimize database performance
D. To define data types
Question 42: How are relationships represented in a relational database?
A. As separate tables
B. As attributes in the same table
C. As foreign keys
D. As primary keys
B. Normalization
Question 43: What are functional dependencies in a relational database?
A. Relationships between tables
B. Constraints that enforce data integrity
C. Relationships between attributes where the value of one attribute determines the value of another attribute
D. Types of indexes
Question 44: What is the goal of normalization?
A. To improve query performance
B. To reduce data redundancy and improve data integrity
C. To create complex data structures
D. To enforce security constraints
Question 45: Which normal form eliminates repeating groups of data within a table?
A. 1NF
B. 2NF
C. 3NF
D. BCNF
Question 46: Which normal form eliminates redundant data that is dependent on only part of the primary key?
A. 1NF
B. 2NF
C. 3NF
D. BCNF
Question 47: Which normal form eliminates transitive dependencies, where a non-key attribute is dependent on another non-key attribute?
A. 1NF
B. 2NF
C. 3NF
D. BCNF
Question 48: What is the Boyce-Codd Normal Form (BCNF)?
A. A lower normal form than 3NF
B. A higher normal form than 3NF that addresses certain redundancy issues not covered by 3NF
C. A type of index
D. A query optimization technique
Question 49: What is decomposition in the context of normalization?
A. Combining tables into a single table
B. Breaking down a table into smaller tables to reduce redundancy
C. Creating indexes on tables
D. Enforcing data integrity constraints
Question 50: What is the lossless join property in database normalization?
A. A property that ensures that data is not lost when tables are joined back together after decomposition
B. A type of join operation in SQL
C. A constraint that enforces data integrity
D. A query optimization technique
IV. Indexing and Query Optimization
A. Indexing Techniques
Question 51: What is the primary purpose of an index in a database?
A. To enforce data integrity
B. To speed up data retrieval
C. To reduce data redundancy
D. To define relationships between tables
Question 52: Which type of index is based on a tree-like structure and is commonly used for range queries?
A. B-tree index
B. Hash index
C. Clustered index
D. Non-clustered index
Question 53: Which type of index uses a hash function to map values to locations on disk?
A. B-tree index
B. Hash index
C. Clustered index
D. Non-clustered index
Question 54: What is a clustered index?
A. An index that stores the actual data rows in the leaf nodes of the index
B. An index that stores pointers to the actual data rows
C. An index that is used for spatial data
D. An index that is used for text data
Question 55: What is a disadvantage of using indexes?
A. They can slow down data retrieval
B. They can increase storage space requirements
C. They can reduce data integrity
D. They can make it harder to update data
B. Query Processing and Optimization
Question 56: What is a query execution plan?
A. A visual representation of a SQL query
B. A step-by-step plan that the database uses to execute a query
C. A set of rules for writing efficient queries
D. A type of index
Question 57: What is the goal of query optimization?
A. To make queries easier to read
B. To find the most efficient way to execute a query
C. To reduce the number of tables in a query
D. To enforce data integrity constraints
Question 58: How can indexes improve query performance?
A. By reducing the amount of data that needs to be scanned
B. By increasing the amount of storage space used
C. By making queries more complex
D. By enforcing data integrity constraints
Question 59: What is cost-based optimization?
A. A query optimization technique that uses predefined rules
B. A query optimization technique that estimates the cost of different execution plans and chooses the least expensive one
C. A type of index
D. A concurrency control technique
Question 60: Which of the following factors can influence the cost of a query execution plan?
A. The number of tables involved in the query
B. The presence of indexes
C. The amount of data that needs to be scanned
D. All of the above
V. Transaction Management and Concurrency Control
A. ACID Properties
Question 61: What does the “A” in ACID properties stand for?
A. Atomicity
B. Availability
C. Accuracy
D. Authenticity
Question 62: What does the “C” in ACID properties stand for?
A. Concurrency
B. Consistency
C. Completeness
D. Confidentiality
Question 63: What does the “I” in ACID properties stand for?
A. Integrity
B. Isolation
C. Inconsistency
D. Indexing
Question 64: What does the “D” in ACID properties stand for?
A. Durability
B. Dependability
C. Distribution
D. Data integrity
Question 65: Why are ACID properties important in database systems?
A. To improve query performance
B. To ensure data reliability and consistency
C. To reduce storage space requirements
D. To simplify database design
B. Transaction Management
Question 66: What is a transaction in a database?
A. A single SQL statement
B. A logical unit of work that consists of one or more database operations
C. A type of index
D. A data structure
Question 67: What are the possible states of a transaction?
A. Active, committed, aborted
B. Running, completed, failed
C. Open, closed, pending
D. Initialized, processing, finalized
Question 68: What is concurrency control in a database?
A. Managing multiple users accessing the database simultaneously
B. Optimizing query performance
C. Enforcing data integrity constraints
D. Backing up and restoring the database
Question 69: What is a deadlock in a database?
A. A situation where two or more transactions are blocked indefinitely, waiting for each other to release resources
B. A type of error that occurs during a transaction
C. A concurrency control technique
D. A recovery technique
Question 70: Which concurrency control technique uses locks to prevent conflicts between transactions?
A. Locking
B. Timestamping
C. Optimistic concurrency control
D. Two-phase locking
C. Recovery Techniques
Question 71: What is the purpose of log-based recovery in a database?
A. To improve query performance
B. To restore the database to a consistent state after a failure
C. To prevent deadlocks
D. To enforce data integrity constraints
Question 72: What is a transaction log in a database?
A. A record of all database operations
B. A type of index
C. A data structure
D. A query execution plan
Question 73: What is checkpointing in a database?
A. A point in time when the database is backed up
B. A concurrency control technique
C. A technique to reduce the amount of data that needs to be processed during recovery
D. A type of index
Question 74: Which of the following is a recovery technique used in databases?
A. Write-ahead logging (WAL)
B. Two-phase locking (2PL)
C. Optimistic concurrency control (OCC)
D. B-tree index
Question 75: What is the purpose of the REDO operation in database recovery?
A. To undo the changes made by a transaction
B. To redo the changes made by a committed transaction that were not written to disk before a failure
C. To prevent deadlocks
D. To enforce data integrity constraints
VI. Advanced Database Concepts – DBMS MCQ Questions for Placement
A. NoSQL Databases
Question 76: Which of the following is NOT a type of NoSQL database?
A. Key-value store
B. Document database
C. Graph database
D. Relational database
Question 77: Which type of NoSQL database stores data in key-value pairs, similar to a dictionary?
A. Key-value store
B. Document database
C. Graph database
D. Column-family database
Question 78: Which type of NoSQL database stores data in flexible, semi-structured documents, often in JSON or XML format?
A. Key-value store
B. Document database
C. Graph database
D. Column-family database
Question 79: Which type of NoSQL database is best suited for representing relationships between entities, such as social networks or knowledge graphs?
A. Key-value store
B. Document database
C. Graph database
D. Column-family database
Question 80: What does the CAP theorem state in the context of distributed databases?
A. A distributed database can only guarantee two out of three properties: Consistency, Availability, and Partition tolerance
B. A distributed database can guarantee all three properties: Consistency, Availability, and Partition tolerance
C. A distributed database cannot guarantee any of the three properties: Consistency, Availability, and Partition tolerance
D. The CAP theorem is not relevant to distributed databases
B. Distributed Databases
Question 81: What is data replication in a distributed database?
A. Storing the same data on multiple servers
B. Dividing data into smaller chunks and storing them on different servers
C. Optimizing query performance
D. Enforcing data integrity constraints
Question 82: What is data partitioning in a distributed database?
A. Storing the same data on multiple servers
B. Dividing data into smaller chunks and storing them on different servers
C. Optimizing query performance
D. Enforcing data integrity constraints
Question 83: What is the purpose of distributed transaction management?
A. To ensure that transactions involving data on multiple servers are executed consistently
B. To optimize query performance
C. To enforce data integrity constraints
D. To back up and restore the database
Question 84: Which of the following is a challenge in distributed databases?
A. Maintaining data consistency across multiple servers
B. Handling network failures
C. Ensuring data availability
D. All of the above
Question 85: What is a distributed database system?
A. A database that is stored on a single server
B. A database that is spread across multiple servers
C. A database that is used for data warehousing
D. A database that is used for data mining
C. Data Warehousing and Data Mining
Question 86: What is a data warehouse?
A. A database designed for transactional processing
B. A large, centralized repository of historical data from various sources
C. A type of NoSQL database
D. A tool for data mining
Question 87: What is OLAP (Online Analytical Processing)?
A. A technique for querying and analyzing data in data warehouses
B. A type of NoSQL database
C. A tool for data mining
D. A technique for data replication
Question 88: What is data mining?
A. The process of extracting knowledge and patterns from large datasets
B. The process of loading data into a data warehouse
C. A type of NoSQL database
D. A technique for data replication
Question 89: Which of the following is a data mining technique?
A. Clustering
B. Classification
C. Regression
D. All of the above
Question 90: What is the purpose of data warehousing and data mining?
A. To support decision-making and gain insights from data
B. To improve transactional processing performance
C. To enforce data integrity constraints
D. To simplify database design
VII. Common DBMS Interview Questions
Question 91: What is the difference between DELETE and TRUNCATE statements in SQL?
A. DELETE removes rows based on a condition, while TRUNCATE removes all rows from a table.
B. TRUNCATE is faster than DELETE.
C. TRUNCATE cannot be rolled back, while DELETE can.
D. All of the above.
Question 92: What is the difference between a primary key and a unique key?
A. A primary key cannot have null values, while a unique key can.
B. A table can have only one primary key, but it can have multiple unique keys.
C. Both A and B.
D. There is no difference.
Question 93: What is a view in a database?
A. A virtual table based on the result-set of an SQL statement.
B. A physical table stored in the database.
C. A type of index.
D. A data structure.
Question 94: What is denormalization?
A. The process of normalizing a database.
B. The process of intentionally introducing redundancy into a database to improve performance.
C. A type of index.
D. A concurrency control technique.
Question 95: What is a stored procedure?
A. A pre-compiled SQL code that can be reused.
B. A type of index.
C. A data structure.
D. A concurrency control technique.
Question 96: What are the advantages of using stored procedures?
A. Improved performance.
B. Reduced network traffic.
C. Enhanced security.
D. All of the above.
Question 97: What is a trigger in a database?
A. A stored procedure that automatically executes in response to certain events.
B. A type of index.
C. A data structure.
D. A concurrency control technique.
Question 98: What are the different types of joins in SQL?
A. INNER JOIN, OUTER JOIN (LEFT, RIGHT, FULL), SELF JOIN
B. UNION, INTERSECT, EXCEPT
C. CREATE, ALTER, DROP
D. INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE
Question 99: What is the difference between INNER JOIN and LEFT JOIN?
A. INNER JOIN returns only the matching rows from both tables, while LEFT JOIN returns all rows from the left table and matching rows from the right table.
B. LEFT JOIN returns only the matching rows from both tables, while INNER JOIN returns all rows from the left table and matching rows from the right table.
C. INNER JOIN and LEFT JOIN are the same.
D. None of the above.
Question 100: What is the difference between WHERE and HAVING clause in SQL?
A. WHERE clause is used to filter rows before grouping, while HAVING clause is used to filter groups after grouping.
B. HAVING clause is used to filter rows before grouping, while WHERE clause is used to filter groups after grouping.
C. WHERE and HAVING clauses are the same.
D. None of the above.
Read Also: Artificial Intelligence Best 100 MCQs
Most asked DBMS Questions
What’s a DBMS?
A DBMS is software that helps you organize and manage data. Think of it as a super-efficient digital filing system.
Relational vs. NoSQL databases?
Relational databases use tables and SQL for structured data. NoSQL databases are more flexible for unstructured data like social media posts.
What is normalization?
Normalization organizes a database to reduce duplicate data and improve data accuracy.
How do indexes speed up databases?
Indexes are like lookups in a database, allowing it to find information quickly without scanning everything.
What are ACID properties?
ACID properties ensure database transactions are reliable, consistent, and don’t interfere with each other.