https://www.btechonline.org/2013/01/gate-questions-dbms-normalization.

html
https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/dbms-gq/database-design-normal-forms-gq/

GATE-1998
1. Which normal form is considered adequate for normal relational database design?
(a) 2NF           (b) 5NF          (c) 4NF         (d) 3NF

Ans: option (d)

Explanation:
A relational database table is often described as "normalized" if it is in the Third Normal Form because
most of the 3NF tables are free of insertion, update, and deletion anomalies.

GATE-2001
2. Consider a schema R(A, B, C, D) and functional dependencies A -> B and C -> D. Then the
decomposition of R into R1 (A, B) and R2(C, D) is 
(a) dependency preserving and lossless join
(b) lossless join but not dependency preserving
(c) dependency preserving but not lossless join
(d) not dependency preserving and not lossless join

Ans: option (c)

Explanation:
While decomposing a relational table we must verify the following properties:
i) Dependency Preserving Property: A decomposition is said to be  dependency preserving if F+=(F1 ∪
F2 ∪ .. Fn)+, Where F+=total functional dependencies(FDs) on universal relation R, F1 = set of FDs of R1,
and F2 = set of FDs of R2.
For the above question R1 preserves A->B and R2 preserves C->D. Since the FDs of universal relation R
is preserved by R1 and R2, the decomposition is dependency preserving.

ii) Lossless-Join Property:
The decomposition is a lossless-join decomposition of R if at least one of the following functional
dependencies are in F+:-
a) R1 ∩ R2 -> R1
b) R1 ∩ R2 -> R2
It ensures that the attributes involved in the natural join (  ) are a candidate key for at least one of the two
relations.In the above question schema R is decomposed into R1 (A, B) and R2(C, D), and R1 ∩ R2 is
empty. So, the decomposition is not lossless.

GATE-2002
3. Relation R with an associated set of functional dependencies, F, is decomposed into BCNF. The
redundancy (arising out of functional dependencies) in the resulting set of relations is  
(a) Zero 
(b) More than zero but less than that of an equivalent 3NF decomposition 
(c) Proportional to the size of F+
(d) Indeterminate

Ans: option (b)

Explanation:
Redundancy in BCNF is low when compared to 3NF. 

A relation schema R is in Boyce-Codd Normal Form (BCNF) with respect to a set F of functional
dependencies if for all functional dependencies in  F+ of the form α→β, where α⊆R  and β⊆R,at
least one of the following holds:
 α→β is a trivial functional dependency (i.e.  β⊆α).
 α is a superkey for schema R.

For more details on BCNF: CLICK HERE

GATE-2005
4. Which one of the following statements about normal forms is FALSE?
(a) BCNF is stricter than 3NF
(b) Lossless, dependency-preserving decomposition into 3NF is always possible
(c) Lossless, dependency-preserving decomposition into BCNF is always possible
(d) Any relation with two attributes is in BCNF

Ans: option (c)

Explanation:
Achieving Lossless and dependency-preserving decomposition property into BCNF is difficult. For
details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boyce%E2%80%93Codd_normal_form#Achievability_of_BCNF

GATE-2005 (IT)
5. A table has fields F1, F2, F3, F4, and F5, with the following functional dependencies:
F1->F3
F2->F4
(F1,F2)->F5
in terms of normalization, this table is in
(a) 1NF             (b) 2NF           (c) 3NF           (d) None of these

Ans: option (a)

Explanation:
Since the primary key is not given we have to derive the primary key of the table. Using the closure set of
attributes we get the primary key as (F1,F2). From functional dependencies, "F1->F3, F2->F4", we can see
that there is partial functional dependency therefore it is not in 2NF. Hence the table is in 1NF.

GATE-2012
6. Which of the following is TRUE?
(a) Every relation in 2NF is also in BCNF
(b) A relation R is in 3NF if every non-prime attribute of R is fully functionally dependent on every key of
R
(c) Every relation in BCNF is also in 3NF
(d) No relation can be in both BCNF and 3NF

Ans: option (c)

GATE-2003
7. Consider the following functional dependencies in a database. 
    Date_of_Birth->Age            Age->Eligibility 
  Name->Roll_number             Roll_number->Name 
  Course_number->Course_name    Course_number->Instructor 
 (Roll_number, Course_number)->Grade 
The relation (Roll_number, Name, Date_of_birth, Age) is 
(a) in second normal form but not in third normal form 
(b) in third normal form but not in BCNF 
(c) in BCNF   
(d) in none of the above 

Ans: option (d)

Explanation:
For the given relation only some of the above FDs are applicable. The applicable FDs are given below:
Date_of_Birth->Age
Name->Roll_number
Roll_number->Name
Finding the closure set of attributes we get the candidate keys:(Roll_number,Date_of_Birth), and
(Name,Date_of_Birth) . 
ALGORITHM TO FIND THE CLOSURE SET: Check the explanation for question number
1: http://www.btechonline.org/2013/01/gate-questions-dbms-functional.html
On selecting any one of the candidate key we can see that the FD Date_of_Birth->Age is a partial
dependency. Hence the relation is in 1NF.

GATE-2004
8. The relation schema Student_Performance (name, courseNo, rollNo, grade) has the following FDs:
name,courseNo->grade
rollNo,courseNo->grade
name->rollNo
rollNo->name
The highest normal form of this relation scheme is
(a) 2NF              (b) 3NF              (c) BCNF               (d)4NF

Ans: option (b)

Explanation:
With the help of closure set of attributes we can find the candidate keys: (name,courseNo) and
(rollNo,courseNo). 
ALGORITHM TO FIND THE CLOSURE SET: Check the explanation for question number
1: http://www.btechonline.org/2013/01/gate-questions-dbms-functional.html
A table is in 2NF if and only if it is in 1NF and no non-prime attribute is dependent on any proper subset of
any candidate key of the table. A non-prime attribute of a table is an attribute that is not a part of any
candidate key of the table.
name, rollNo & courseNo are known as prime attributes, because they are part of candidate keys. The only
non-prime key attribute here is "grade", which is fully dependent on the keys. Hence the relation is in 2NF.

name->rollNo and rollNo->name are not partial functional dependencies, because for a functional

dependency X->Y to be partially dependent, X should be prime attribute and Y should be non prime
attribute. But here both X and Y are prime attributes.
A super key is the set of attributes which can uniquely identify a tuple. A candidate key is a superkey.
Adding zero or more attributes to candidate key generates super key.

A table is in 3NF if and only if, for each of its functional dependencies X -> A, at least one of the
following conditions holds:
 * X contains A (that is, X -> A is trivial functional dependency), or
 * X is a superkey, or
 * A should be prime attribute.

First two FDs (i.e. name,courseNo->grade & rollNo,courseNo->grade) satisfies second

condition. Because name,courseNo & rollNo,courseNo is a superkey. Last two FDs
(i.e name->rollNo & rollNo->name) satisfies third condition because rollNo and name is a
prime attribute. Therefore the relation is also in 3NF.

Note the definition of BCNF in question number 3. None of FDs satisfy first condition. That
means for this relation to be in BCNF all FDs must satisfy the second condition, that is left side of
all FDs should be a superkey. But below 2 FDs satisfy the second condition.
name->rollNo , name is not a superkey
rollNo->name, roll is not a superkey 

Hence not BCNF. Therefore the highest normal form of this relation scheme is 3NF.

GATE-2004 (IT)
9. The relation EMPDT1 is defined with attributes empcode(unique), name, street, city, state, and pincode.
For any pincode,there is only one city and state. Also, for any given street, city and state, there is just one
pincode. In normalization terms EMPDT1 is a relation in
(a) 1NF only                                     
(b) 2NF and hence also in 1NF
(c) 3NF and hence also in 2NF and 1NF 
(d) BCNF and hence also in 3NF, 2NF and 1NF

Ans: option (b)

Explanation:
empcode is unique, therefore it is the primary key. Since the primary key consists of a single attribute there
will be no partial dependency, hence the relation is in 2NF. 
From the question we get the FDs as below:
 pincode -> city, state
 street,city,state -> pincode
From the FDs we can see that there are transitive dependencies, hence the table is not in 3NF.

GATE-2007
10.  Which one of the following statements if FALSE?
(a) Any relation with two attributes is in BCNF
(b) A relation in which every key has only one attribute is in 2NF
(c) A prime attribute can be transitively dependent on a key in a 3 NF relation.
(d) A prime attribute can be transitively dependent on a key in a BCNF relation.

Ans: option (d)

Explanation:
Check the explanation of question 8.

GATE-2008
11. Consider the following relational schemes for a library database:
Book (Title, Author, Catalog_no, Publisher, Year, Price)
Collection (Title, Author, Catalog_no)
With the following functional dependencies:
I. Title Author -> Catalog_no
II. Catalog_no -> Title Author Publisher Year
III. Publisher Title Year -> Price 
Assume {Author, Title} is the key for both schemes. Which of the following statements is true?
(a) Both Book and Collection are in BCNF
(b) Both Book and Collection are in 3NF only
(c) Book is in 2NF and Collection is in 3NF
(d) Both Book and Collection are in 2NF only

Ans: option (c)

Explanation:
The relation Collection is in BCNF: Its given that {Author, Title} is the key and there is only one
functional dependency (FD) applicable to the relation Collection {i.e. Title Author –> Catalog_no}.
As per the definitions of the normal forms (given in the explanation of question no. 8) Book is in 2NF.

GATE-2008(IT)
12. Let R(A,B,C,D,E,P,G) be a relational schema in which the following FDs are known to hold: 
AB->CD
DE->P
C->E
P->C
B->G
The relation schema R is
(a) in BCNF                                       (b) in 3NF, but not in BCNF
(c) in 2NF, but not in 3NF                   (d) not in 2NF

Ans: option (d)

Explanation:
From the closure set of attributes we can see that the key for the relation is AB. The FD B->G is a partial
dependency, hence it is not in 2NF.
ALGORITHM TO FIND THE CLOSURE SET: Check the explanation for question number
1: http://www.btechonline.org/2013/01/gate-questions-dbms-functional.html

GATE-2013

Linked question (13 & 14)

Relation R has eight attributes ABCDEFGH. Fields of R contain only atomic values. F={CH→G, A→BC,
B→CFH, E→A, F→EG} is a set of functional dependencies (FDs) so that F + is exactly the set of FDs
that hold for R.

13. How many candidate keys does the relation R have?

(a) 3    (b) 4    (c) 5    (d) 6

Ans: option (b)

Explanation:
In a relational database, a key helps to uniquely identify each record within a table . A key is a combination
of one or more fields/attributes in a table. If a relational schema has multiple keys,each key is a candidate
key. One of the candidate keys is chosen  as the primary key.
To find the candidate keys, we need to find the closure of each attribute. (If x ia an attribute(field), set of
attributes determined by x under a set F of functional dependencies is the closure of x under F, denoted
x+ ).
Thus,
A+:ABCFHGE
B+: BCFHEGA
C+:C
D+:D
E+: EABCFHG
F+:FEGABCH
G+:G
H+ : H
A+,B+,E+,F+ contains all attributes except D. Thus there are 4 candidate keys DA,DB,DE and DF.

14. The relation R is

(a) in 1NF, but not in 2NF. 
(b) in 2NF, but not in 3NF. 
(c) in 3NF, but not in BCNF. 
(d) in BCNF.

Ans: option (a)

Explanation:
An attribute that does not occur in any candidate key is called a non-prime attribute.
(Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candidate_key)

Consider F->G; G is a non-prime attribute and F is a proper subset of a candidate key (refer the above
question). This is a case of partial dependency. Hence 2NF condition is violated. similarly  A->C  and B-
>CH also violates 2NF condition, hence R is not in 2NF. 

Since attributes of relation R has only atomic values, R is in 1NF.

Question 1: Download PDF ››

The process to properly define the database tables to provide flexibility, minimized
redundancy and data integrity is called ______

Options:

1. Design rationalization

2. Class diagram

3. Data normalization

4. Database design

Correct Answer: Option 3 (Solution Below)

Solution:

Normalization is used for Eliminating redundant(useless) data and Ensuring data dependencies.

First Normal Form (1NF)

 It should only have a single value for attribute and values stored in it should be of the same
domain
 All the columns in a table should have unique names.

Second Normal Form (2NF)

 It should be in the First Normal form.

 It should not have Partial Dependency.

Third Normal Form (3NF)

 It is in the Second Normal form.

 it doesn't have Transitive Dependency.

Boyce and Codd Normal Form (BCNF)

BCNF is an Advance version of the 3NF

 The relation must be in 3rd Normal Form

 and, for each functional dependency ( X → Y ), X should be a super Key.

Fourth Normal Form (4NF)

  It is in the Boyce-Codd Normal Form.
 it doesn't have Multi-Valued Dependency.

Question 2: Download PDF ››

A database of research articles in a journal uses the following schema.

(VOLUME, NUMBER, STARTPAGE, ENDPAGE, TITLE, YEAR, PRICE)

The primary key is (VOLUME, NUMBER, STARTPAGE, ENDPAGE) and the following functional
dependencies exist in the schema.

(VOLUME, NUMBER, STARTPAGE, ENDPAGE) → TITLE

(VOLUME, NUMBER) → YEAR

(VOLUME, NUMBER, STARTPAGE, ENDPAGE) → PRICE

The database is redesigned to use the following schemas.

(VOLUME, NUMBER, STARTPAGE, ENDPAGE, TITLE, PRICE)

(VOLUME, NUMBER, YEAR)

Which is the weakest normal form that the new database satisfies, but the old one does not?  

Options:

1. 1NF
 2. 2NF

3. 3NF

4. BCNF

Correct Answer: Option 2 (Solution Below)

Solution:

First relational schema:

(VOLUME, NUMBER, STARTPAGE, ENDPAGE, TITLE, YEAR, PRICE)

Primary key: (VOLUME, NUMBER, STARTPAGE, ENDPAGE)

Functional dependencies are:

(VOLUME, NUMBER, STARTPAGE, ENDPAGE) → TITLE   

(This dependency is in BCNF, satisfy form X → A, where X is the candidate key)

(VOLUME, NUMBER) → YEAR

(This dependency is not in 2NF, as there is partial dependency in this)

(VOLUME, NUMBER, STARTPAGE, ENDPAGE) → PRICE       (BCNF form).

First relational schema is in 1NF.

Second relational schema:

(VOLUME, NUMBER, STARTPAGE, ENDPAGE, TITLE, PRICE)      - 1st

(VOLUME, NUMBER, YEAR)   - 2nd

1st satisfy

(VOLUME, NUMBER, STARTPAGE, ENDPAGE) → TITLE     //BCNF form

(VOLUME, NUMBER, STARTPAGE, ENDPAGE) → PRICE      // BCNF form

2nd satisfy

(VOLUME, NUMBER) → YEAR               // According to this, satisfy 2 NF form.

Weakest normal form that new database satisfies but old one doesn’t is 2NF.
Question 3: Download PDF ››

Let the set of functional dependencies F = {QR → S, R → P, S → Q} hold on a relation schema

X = (PQRS). X is not in BCNF. Suppose X is decomposed into two schemas Y and Z, where Y =
(PR) and Z = (QRS).

Consider the two statements given below.

I. Both Y and Z are in BCNF

II. Decomposition of X into Y and Z is dependency preserving and lossless

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

Options:

1. Both I and II

2. I only

3. II only

4. Neither I nor II

Correct Answer: Option 3 (Solution Below)

Solution:

X = (PQRS)

Set of functional dependencies

F = {QR → S, R → P, S → Q}

QR → {Q, R, S, P}

SR → {S, R, P, Q}

QR and SR are keys of Relation schema X

R→P…

part of key (R) → non key(P)

It is partial dependency and hence not in 2nd normal form and therefore not in BCNF (Given)

X is decomposed into two schemas Y and Z, where Y = (PR) and Z = (QRS)

For Y = (PR)

R→P

Y is in BCNF because binary attribute (R is a key).

For Z = (QRS)

QR → S

S→Q

SR → {R, S, Q}

QR → {R, Q, S}

QR and SR are keys of Relation schema X

Z is not in BCNF because

S → Q and S is not Super key.

∴ statement I is incorrect

Dependency Preserving:

R → P is in Y

QR → S in Z

S → Q is in Z

Hence, it is dependency preserving.

Lossless:

Y ∩ Z = R which is key of Y.

Therefore, it is Lossless

Statement II is correct.

Hence, option 3 is the answer

Question 4: Download PDF ››

Consider a relational table R that is in 3NF, but not in BCNF, Which one of the following
statements is TRUE?

Options:

1. R has a nontrivial functional dependency X → A, where X is not a superkey and A is a

prime attribute.

2. R has a nontrivial functional dependency X → A, where X is not a superkey and A is a

non-prime attribute and X is not a proper subset of any key.

3. R has a nontrivial functional dependency X → A, where X is not a superkey and A is a

non-prime attribute and X is a proper subset of some key.

4. A cell in R holds a set instead of an atomic value.

Correct Answer: Option 1 (Solution Below)

Solution:

Concept:

A relation is in 1NF if every values in the relation are atomic.

A relation R with nontrivial functional dependency X → A, where X is not a superkey and A is a non-
prime attribute and X is not a proper subset of any key is in called to be in 2NF.

A relation R with nontrivial functional dependency X → A, where X is not a superkey and A is a prime
attribute, is called to be in 3NF.

A relation R with nontrivial functional dependency X → A, where X is a superkey is called to be in

BCNF.

Explanation:

Statement I:

corresponds to a relation that is in 3NF but not in BCNF, because for BCNF, X must be a superkey.

Statement II

corresponds to a relation that is only in 2NF by definition.

Statement III

corresponds to a relation that is not even in 2NF. It is in 1NF.

Statement IV corresponds to a relation that is not even in 1NF.

Question 5: Download PDF ››

If every non-key attribute functionally dependant on the primary key, then the relation will be in

Options:

1. First normal form

2. Second normal form

3. Third normal form

4. Fourth normal form

Correct Answer: Option 2 (Solution Below)

Solution:

Concept –

For a relation to be in 

1NF – All the values of attributes should be atomic

2NF – (Non-key -> Non-key) derivation not allowed

3NF – (Proper Subset of candidate key -> Non-key) not allowed

In the given question, it is not mentioned that the functional dependency of non-attribute is partial or
full. In 2NF, both types of dependencies are allowed.

1. (Candidate key -> Non-key) – Full dependency

2. (Proper Subset of candidate key -> Non-key) – Partial dependency

However, partial dependency is strictly prohibited in 3NF. Hence, 2NF will be highest Normal Form
assumed by the given statement.

Example:

Let R(ABC) = { A->B,B->C,A->C)  

A is Primary key and B,C are non-key attributes.

Also, B and C are  functionally dependant on A.  (A->B, A->C)

Also,  B->C (non-key -> non-key) and hence it is not in 3NF but in 2 NF

Question 6: Download PDF ››

Consider the following four relational schemas. For each schema, all non-trivial functional
dependencies are listed. The underlined attributes are the respective primary keys.

Schema I:

Field ‘courses’ is a set-valued attribute containing the set of courses a student has

registered for.

Non-trivial functional dependency:

rollno → courses

Schema II:

Non-trivial functional dependencies:

rollno, courseid → email

email → rollno

Schema III:

Non-trivial functional dependencies:

rollno, courseid → marks, grade

marks → grade

Schema IV:

Non-trivial functional dependencies:

rollno, courseid → credit

courseid → credit

Which one of the relational schemas above is in 3NF but not in BCNF?

Options:

1. Schema I

2. Schema II

3. Schema III
 4. Schema IV

Correct Answer: Option 2 (Solution Below)

Solution:

Schema I
Field ‘courses’ is a set-valued attribute containing the set of courses a student has registered for.
Non-trivial functional dependency
rollno → courses
Since rollno is the primary key, so this relation is in BCNF as well as 3 NF.

Schema II
Non-trivial functional dependencies:
rollno, courseid  → email
email →  rollno
Since, {rollno, coursid} is the primary key so rollno and courseid are prime attributes. email is a non-
prime attribute.

Functional dependency (FD) rollno, courseid → email is in BCNF and 3NF, but FD email →
rollno violates the rule of BCNF because email is not superkey.

But it satisfies the rule of 3 NF because rollno is prime-attribute.

So, overall this relation is in 3 NF but not in BCNF.

Schema III
Non-trivial functional dependencies:
rollno, courseid, → marks, grade
marks → grade
Since rollno, courseid is the primary key, so rollno and courseid are prime attributes, and marks and
grade are non-prime attributes.
FD rollno, courseid, → marks, grade satisfies BCNF as well as 3 NF.
FD marks → grade does not satisfy 3 NF because neither marks are superkey nor grade is prime-
attribute. So, also can not be in BCNF.
So, overall this relation is not in 3 NF and not in BCNF but it does not violate the rule of 2 NF, so can
be only in 2 NF.

Schema IV
Non-trivial functional dependencies:
rollno, courseid  → credit
courseid → credit
Since, rollno, courseid is the primary key, so rollno and courseid are prime-attributes and credit is a
non-prime attribute.
FD rollno, courseid → credit satisfies BCNF as well as 3 NF.
FD courseid → credit violates the rule of 2 NF, so can not be in 2NF.
So, overall this is not in 2 NF, 3 NF, and BCNF. But it is only in 1 NF.

Therefore only schema-II is in 3 NF but not in BCNF.

Question 7: Download PDF ››

A relation in which every non-key attribute is fully functionally dependent on the primary key
and which has no transitive dependencies, is said to be in _____

Options:

1. BCNF

2. 1NF

3. 2NF

4. 3 NF

Correct Answer: Option 4 (Solution Below)

Solution:

1NF:

 There are only Single Valued Attributes.

 There is a unique name for every Attribute/Column.

2NF:

 A relation that is in First Normal Form 

 Every non-primary-key attribute is fully functionally dependent on the primary key 

3NF

 The third normal form is based on the concept of transitive dependency. A functional
dependency X->Y in a relation schema R is a transitive dependency if there exists a set of
attributed Z in R that is neither a candidate key nor a subset of any key of R.
 A relation is in 3NF if it satisfies 2NF and no prime attribute of R is transitively dependent on
the primary key.
 If X - > A is a functional dependency, then A should be a prime attribute or X should be a
candidate key.
 Lossless join and dependency preservation is always possible in 3NF. 3NF decomposition is
always lossless join and dependency preserving.

BCNF:

 It stands for Boyce Codd normal form.

 A relation R is in BCNF if whenever a non-trivial functional dependency X -> A holds in R,
then X is a superkey of R. Any relation with two attributes is always in BCNF. Because when
a relation contains only two attributes then one attribute determines another and the left side
of the functional dependency will always be a candidate key in that case.
  BCNF is not always dependency preserving.

Therefore the answer is Option 2

Question 8: Download PDF ››

Given a relation schema R(ABCDEFGH) in first normal form. For the set of dependencies

F={ A → B, A → C, CG → H, B → H, G → F}, which dependency is logically implied?

Options:

1. AC → H

2. C → H

3. G → H

4. A → H

Correct Answer: Option 4 (Solution Below)

Solution:

Concept:
If A → B and B → C then A → C is logically implied to A → B and B → C FDs this is nothing but
transitivity rule.

Explanation:

A→B

B→H

Then we can say that A->H which is logically implied by above both FDs

So option 4 is the correct answer.

Question 9: Download PDF ››

Given the following two statements:

S1: Every table with two single-valued attributes is in 1NF, 2NF, 3NF and BCNF.

S2: AB → C, D → E, E → C is a minimal cover for the set of functional dependencies AB → C, D

→ E, AB → E, E → C.

Which one of the following is CORRECT?

Options:

1. S1 is TRUE and S2 is FALSE

2. Both S1 and S2 are TRUE.

3. S1 is FALSE and S2 is TRUE

4. Both S1 and S2 are FALSE

Correct Answer: Option 1 (Solution Below)

Solution:

Statement 1: TRUE
BCNF (Boyce Codd Normal Form):

 A relation R is in BCNF whenever a non – trivial functional dependency X → A holds in R,

where X is the super-key of R.
 A binary relation is always in BCNF. A binary relation contains only two attributes.
 Functional dependency that is possible from a binary relation is one.

Example:

Consider R(A, B), in this only one functional dependency is possible either A → B or B → A

In both the cases, left hand side will be the super key. In this way R(A, B) is always in BCNF.

If a relation is in BCNF then it is in 1NF, 2 NF and 3 NF

Statement 2: FALSE

Set 1 = {AB → C, D → E, AB → E, E→ C}

Set 2 = {AB → C, D → E, E → C}

Set 2 cannot derive   AB → E since in set 2 (AB)+ = {A, B, C}

The two sets of functional dependencies are not the same and hence one cannot be minimal of other.

Question 10: Download PDF ››

A relation is in _______ form if every field contains only atomic values, that is, not lists or sets.

Options:
 1. Second normal

2. Third normal

3. Fourth normal

4. First normal

Correct Answer: Option 4 (Solution Below)

Solution:

For a relation to be in 

First Normal Form (1 NF) – All the values of attributes should be atomic

Second Normal Form (2 NF) – (Non-key -> Non-key) derivation not allowed

Third Normal Form (3 NF)– (Proper Subset of candidate key -> Non-key) not allowed

Therefore, a relation is in first form if every field contains only atomic values, that is, not lists or sets

Question 11: Download PDF ››

Which of the following is TRUE?

Options:

1. Every relation in 3NF is also in BCNF

2.  A relation R is in 3NF if every non-prime attribute of R is fully functionally dependent

on every key of R

3. Every relation in BCNF is also in 3NF

 4. No relation can be in both BCNF and 3NF

Correct Answer: Option 3 (Solution Below)

Solution:

The correct answer is "option 3".

CONCEPT

Normalization is used to minimize redundancy from a set of relations.

It is used to organize data effectively in the database.

Normal forms are used to reduce redundancy from the database.

Third Normal form: A relation is said to be in third normal form if it is in 2NF & there must not exist
any transition dependency.

Also, it must satisfy these properties:

1. For the function A → B, A should be a super key.

2. B should be a part of a key attribute or prime attribute i.e. B should be a part of a candidate key.

BCNF: A relation is said to be in Boyce-Codd normal form (BCNF) if it is in 3NF & must satisfy this
property: 

1. For the function A → B, A should be a super key.

EXPLANATION:

Option 1: FALSE

Any relation in BCNF must be in 3NF.

Option 2: FALSE

A relation R is in 3NF if every non-prime attribute of R is fully functionally dependent on every key of R
but this does not guarantee transitive dependency.

Option 3: TRUE

Every relation is BCNF must be in 3NF.

Option 4: FALSE

Any relation can be in both BCNF & 3NF if it satisfies the condition of BCNF.

Hence, the correct answer is “option 3”.

Question 12: Download PDF ››

Consider the following Table

The table is in which normal form?

Options:

1. First Normal Form

2. Second Normal Form

3. Third Normal Form but not BCNF

4. Third Normal Form and BCNF

Correct Answer: Option 3 (Solution Below)

Solution:

Answer: Option 3

CONCEPT:

3NF:

A relation is in 3NF if there is no transitive dependency for non-prime attributes as well as it is in

second normal form.Transitive dependency occurs when FD (non-key-> non-key) exists in relation.

BCNF:

It stands for Boyce Codd's normal form.

A relation R is in BCNF if whenever a non-trivial functional dependency X -> A holds in R, then X is a

superkey of R. Any relation with two attributes is always in BCNF. Because when a relation contains
only two attributes then one attribute determines another and the left side of the functional
dependency will always be a candidate key in that case. BCNF is not always dependency preserving.

EXPLANATION: 

This table indicates the following functional dependency

AB → CDE

C → B

(AB)+ = {A, B, C, D, E}

(AC)+ = {A, C, B, D, E}

Prime attributes: A, B,C

Keys: AB and AC

Since AB and AC are the keys; but in the second functional dependency, C is not key.

Hence the table is in 3rd normal form but not in BCNF.

1NF

It does not contain any composite or multi-valued attribute.

2NF

A relation is in 2NF if it has No Partial Dependency i.e., no non-prime attribute (attributes which are
not part of any candidate key) is dependent on any proper subset of any candidate key of the table

Question 13: Download PDF ››

Every time the attribute A appears, it is matched with the same value of attribute B but not the
same value of attribute C. Which of the following is true ?

Options:

1. A -> (B, C)

2. A -> B, A ->> C

3. A -> B, C ->> A

4. A ->> B, B -> C

Correct Answer: Option 2 (Solution Below)

Solution:

Answer: Option 2

Concept: 

Multivalued dependency: 

Consider the following Relation Table

A B C

A1 B1 C1

A1 B1 C2
 A2 B2 C1

A2 B2 C2

A3 B3 C1

A3 B3 C2

A4 B3 C1

A4 B3 C2

In this Table, A -> B exists, and also A->>C also exists since for each value of A attribute we have a
tuple for all possible C values. Hence A->> C holds.

Properties for MVD: 

Consider R is a relation;

1. If X->>Y then X->>Z ; { where Z = R - ( X ∪ Y) }

2. Trivial MVD: 

 if Y ⊆ X then X->> Y.

 If X ∪ Y = R then X->> Y.

3. If X->>Y and W ⊆ Z then XZ ->> YW.

4. If X->> Y and Y->>Z then Z->> (Z-Y).

5. If X-> Y then X->>Y.

Explanation: 

Question says that whenever attribute A appears, it is matched with the same value of attribute B but
not the same value of attribute C.

Hence This is exactly the same case in the above table hence A->B holds and A->>C holds.

In Option '3', C->>A can not be true because for each A value B is matched but C is not matched it
does not say anything about the C values.
Question 14: Download PDF ››

Consider the schema R (A, B, C, D) and the functional dependencies  A → B and C → D. If the
decomposition is made as R1 (A, B) and R2 (C, D), then which of the following is TRUE ?

Options:

1. Preserves dependency but cannot perform lossless join

2. Preserves dependency and performs lossless join

3. Does not preserve dependency and cannot perform lossless join 

4. Does not preserve dependency but performs lossless join

Correct Answer: Option 1 (Solution Below)

Solution:

The correct answer is option 1.

Dependency preserving decomposition:

The Decomposition R with the dependency F into R1 and R2 with the dependency F1 and F2 is said to
be dependency preserving if and only if Fl=( F1∪F2 )+. 

i.e every dependency of R we can determine using the decomposed relation.

                                           R: Fl 
R1 (A, B) : (F1)  R2 (C, D) : (F2)
A→B C→D

A→ A C→C

B→B D→D

Here reflexive functional dependency removed because they obtain other attributes. So

here Fl=( F1∪F2 )+  will be A→B and C→D will satisfy the Fl. So It Preserves dependency.

Lossless join Decomposition:

The Decomposition R into R1 and R2 is said to be lossless if R1 ⋈ R2 =R. 

Decomposition R into R1 and R2 is said to lossless if and only if the attribute common must be a key in
either  R1 or  R2 or Both otherwise it lossy Decomposition or not lossless join.

The schema R (A, B, C, D) key is AC. R1 (A, B) and R2 (C, D) common attribute is empty so It not a
key in  R1 or  R2 or Both relation. Hence It is not lossless join decomposition.
∴ Hence the correct answer is Preserves dependency but cannot perform the lossless join.

Question 15: Download PDF ››

Consider a schema R(A, B, C, D) and following functional dependencies.

A → B

B → C

C → D

D → B

Then decomposition of R into R1(A, B), R2(B, C) and R3(B, D) is _______

Options:

1. Dependency preserving and lossless join.

 2. Lossless join but not dependency preserving.

3. Dependency preserving but not lossless join.

4. Not dependency preserving and not lossless join.

Correct Answer: Option 1 (Solution Below)

Solution:

The correct answer is "option 1".

CONCEPT: 

Lossless join: If there is no loss of information by replacing a relation R with two relation

schema R1 & R2, then join can be said as Lossless decomposition.

That means, after natural join R1 & R2, we will get exactly the same relation R.

Some properties of lossless decomposition are:

1. R1 ∩ R2 = R1 or R1 ∩ R2 = R2

2. R1 U R2 = R

3. R1 ∩ R2 = super key of either R1 or R2

Decomposition preservation: Decomposition D = { R1,R2..Rn } of relation R is dependency

preserving with respect to Functional dependency F if :

Closure of Union of all functional dependencies with respect to each relation is equivalent to closure
of F.

In other words, If relation R has FD F, its decomposed relations R1 & R2 has FD F1

& F2 respectively then, F' = F1 U F2 & F'+ = F+ .                   

EXPLANATION: 

Lossless: Consider relation R1(A,B) & R2(B,C):

R1 ∩ R2 -> (B)+ -> { B,C,D }                      {B is common attribute in both relation so find its closure}

Since B+  derives relation R2, Hence, relation R1'(A,B,C) is lossless.

Now consider relation R1'(A,B,C) & R3(B,D):

R1' ∩ R3 -> (B)+ -> { B,C,D }                      {B is common attribute in both relation so find its closure}
Since B+  derives relation R3, Hence relation R(A,B,C,D) is lossless.

Decomposition: 

Here,

R1(A,B) -> { A->B },     --- FD1

R2(B,C) -> { B->C },     --- FD2

R3(B,D) -> { D->B }      --- FD3

F' = FD1 U FD2 U FD3

    = { A->B, B->C, D->B }

Now find closure of F' & F :

F'+ = {A,B,C,D} & F+ = {A,B,C,D}

Since the closure of F' also preserve dependency C -> D,

Hence, given decomposition of R into R1(A, B), R2(B, C) and R3(B, D) is dependency

preserving and lossless join.
Which of the following is TRUE?
(A) Every relation in 3NF is also in BCNF
(B) A relation R is in 3NF if every non-prime attribute of R is fully functionally
dependent on every key of R
(C) Every relation in BCNF is also in 3NF
(D) No relation can be in both BCNF and 3NF

Answer: (C)

Relation R has eight attributes ABCDEFGH. Fields of R contain only atomic

values. F = {CH -> G, A -> BC, B -> CFH, E -> A, F -> EG} is a set of
functional dependencies (FDs) so that F+ is exactly the set of FDs that hold
for R.
How many candidate keys does the relation R have?
(A) 3
(B) 4
(C) 5
(D) 6

Answer: (B)

Consider the FDs given in above question. The relation R is

(A) in 1NF, but not in 2NF.
(B) in 2NF, but not in 3NF.
(C) in 3NF, but not in BCNF.
(D) in BCNF

Answer: (A)

Which one of the following statements about normal forms is FALSE?

(A) BCNF is stricter than 3NF
(B) Lossless, dependency-preserving decomposition into 3NF is always
possible
(C) Lossless, dependency-preserving decomposition into BCNF is always
possible
(D) Any relation with two attributes is in BCNF
Answer: (C)

Relation R with an associated set of functional dependencies, F is

decomposed into BCNF. The redundancy (arising out of functional
dependencies) in the resulting set relations is.
(A) Zero
(B) More than zero but less than that of an equivalent 3NF decomposition
(C) Proportional to the size of F+
(D) Indeterminate

Answer: (A)

Relation R is decomposed using a set of functional dependencies, F and

relation S is decomposed using another set of functional dependencies G.
One decomposition is definitely BCNF, the other is definitely 3NF, but it is
not known which is which. To make a guaranteed identification, which one of
the following tests should be used on the decompositions? (Assume that the
closures of F and G are available).
(A) Dependency-preservation
(B) Lossless-join
(C) BCNF definition
(D) 3NF definition

Answer: (C)

R(A,B,C,D) is a relation. Which of the following does not have a lossless join,
dependency preserving BCNF decomposition?
(A) A->B, B->CD
(B) A->B, B->C, C->D
(C) AB->C, C->AD
(D) A ->BCD

Answer: (C)
Consider the schema R= ( S, T, U, V ) and the dependencies S→T, T→U,
U→V and V→S. Let R (R1 and R2) be a decomposition such that
R1∩R2 ≠ Ø. The decomposition is:
(A) Not in 2NF
(B) In 2NF but not in 3NF
(C) In 3NF but not in 2NF
(D) In both 2NF and 3NF

Answer: (D)

A table has fields Fl, F2, F3, F4, F5 with the following functional
dependencies  
F1 → F3   F2→ F4   (F1 . F2) → F5
In terms of Normalization, this table is in
 
(A) 1 NF
(B) 2 NF
(C) 3 NF
(D) none

Answer: (A)

Let R (A, B, C, D, E, P, G) be a relational schema in which the following

functional dependencies are known to hold: AB → CD, DE → P, C → E, P →
C and B → G. The relational schema R is
(A) in BCNF
(B) in 3NF, but not in BCNF
(C) in 2NF, but not in 3NF
(D) not in 2NF

Answer: (D)

Which of the following is NOT a superkey in a relational schema with attributes V,

W, X, Y, Z and primary key V Y ?
(A) V X Y Z
(B) V W X Z
(C) V W X Y
(D) V W X Y Z
Answer: (B)

Question 1

WRONG
Relation R has eight attributes ABCDEFGH. Fields of R contain only atomic values.
F = {CH -> G, A -> BC, B -> CFH, E -> A, F -> EG} is a set of functional
dependencies (FDs) so that F+ is exactly the set of FDs that hold for R. How many
candidate keys does the relation R have?
3
4

C5
D6
Database Design(Normal Forms)    
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Question 1 Explanation: 
A+ is ABCEFGH which is all attributes except D. B+ is also ABCEFGH which is all
attributes except D. E+ is also ABCEFGH which is all attributes except D. F+ is also
ABCEFGH which is all attributes except D. So there are total 4 candidate keys AD,
BD, ED and FD
Question 2

WRONG
Relation R has eight attributes ABCDEFGH. Fields of R contain only atomic values.
F = {CH -> G, A -> BC, B -> CFH, E -> A, F -> EG} is a set of functional
dependencies (FDs) so that F+ is exactly the set of FDs that hold for R. How many
candidate keys does the relation R have?
3
4

C5
D6
Database Design(Normal Forms)    
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Question 2 Explanation: 
A+ is ABCEFGH which is all attributes except D. B+ is also ABCEFGH which is all
attributes except D. E+ is also ABCEFGH which is all attributes except D. F+ is also
ABCEFGH which is all attributes except D. So there are total 4 candidate keys AD,
BD, ED and FD
Question 3

CORRECT
Consider the FDs given in above question. The relation R is
in 1NF, but not in 2NF.

B in 2NF, but not in 3NF.

C in 3NF, but not in BCNF.
D in BCNF
GATE CS 2013    Database Design(Normal Forms)    
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Question 3 Explanation: 
The table is not in 2nd Normal Form as the non-prime attributes are dependent on
subsets of candidate keys. The candidate keys are AD, BD, ED and FD. In all of the
following FDs, the non-prime attributes are dependent on a partial candidate key. A
-> BC B -> CFH F -> EG
Question 4

WRONG
Which of the following is TRUE?
Every relation in 3NF is also in BCNF
A relation R is in 3NF if every non-prime

B attribute of R is fully functionally dependent

on every key of R
Every relation in BCNF is also in 3NF

D No relation can be in both BCNF and 3NF

GATE CS 2012    Database Design(Normal Forms)    
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Question 4 Explanation: 
BCNF is a stronger version 3NF. So every relation in BCNF will also be in 3NF.
Question 5

CORRECT
Consider a relational table with a single record for each registered student with the
following attributes.
1. Registration_Num: Unique registration number
of each registered student
2. UID: Unique identity number, unique at the
national level for each citizen
3. BankAccount_Num: Unique account number at
the bank. A student can have multiple accounts
or join accounts. This attribute stores the
primary account number.
4. Name: Name of the student
5. Hostel_Room: Room number of the hostel
Which one of the following option is INCORRECT?
BankAccount_Num is candidate key

B Registration_Num can be a primary key

UID is candidate key if all students are from
C the same country
If S is a superkey such that S∩UID is NULL
D then S∪UID is also a superkey
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Question 5 Explanation: 
A Candidate Key value must uniquely identify the corresponding row in table.
BankAccount_Number is not a candidate key. As per the question “A student can
have multiple accounts or joint accounts. This attributes stores the primary account
number”. If two students have a joint account and if the joint account is their primary
account, then BankAccount_Number value cannot uniquely identify a row.
Question 6

CORRECT
Consider the following relational schema:
Suppliers(sid:integer, sname:string, city:string, street:string)
Parts(pid:integer, pname:string, color:string)
Catalog(sid:integer, pid:integer, cost:real)
Assume that, in the suppliers relation above, each supplier and each street within a
city has a unique name, and (sname, city) forms a candidate key. No other functional
dependencies are implied other than those implied by primary and candidate keys.
Which one of the following is TRUE about the above schema?
The schema is in BCNF

B The schema is in 3NF but not in BCNF

C The schema is in 2NF but not in 3NF
D The schema is not in 2NF
GATE-CS-2009    Database Design(Normal Forms)    
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Question 6 Explanation: 
A relation is in BCNF if for every one of its dependencies X → Y, at least one of the
following conditions hold:
X → Y is a trivial functional dependency (Y ⊆ X)
X is a superkey for schema R
Since (sname, city) forms a candidate key, there is no non-tirvial dependency X → Y
where X is not a superkey
Question 7

WRONG
Consider the following relational schemes for a library database: Book (Title, Author,
Catalog_no, Publisher, Year, Price) Collection (Title, Author, Catalog_no) with in the
following functional dependencies:
I. Title Author --> Catalog_no
II. Catalog_no --> Title, Author, Publisher, Year
III. Publisher Title Year --> Price
Assume {Author, Title} is the key for both schemes. Which of the following
statements is true?
Both Book and Collection are in BCNF

B Both Book and Collection are in 3NF only

Book is in 2NF and Collection is in 3NF

D Both Book and Collection are in 2NF only

Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE CS 2008    
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Question 7 Explanation: 
Book (Title, Author, Catalog_no, Publisher, Year, Price)
Collection (Title, Author, Catalog_no)
with in the following functional dependencies:
I. Title, Author --> Catalog_no
II. Catalog_no --> Title, Author, Publisher, Year
III. Publisher, Title, Year --> Price

Assume {Author, Title} is the key for both schemes

 The table "Collection" is in BCNF as there is only one functional
dependency “Title Author –> Catalog_no” and {Author, Title} is key for
collection.
 Book is not in BCNF because Catalog_no is not a key and there is a
functional dependency “Catalog_no –> Title Author Publisher Year”.
 Book is not in 3NF because non-prime attributes (Publisher Year) are
transitively dependent on key [Title, Author].
  Book is in 2NF because every non-prime attribute of the table is either
dependent on the whole of a candidate key [Title, Author], or on another
non prime attribute. In table book, candidate keys are {Title, Author}
and {Catalog_no}. In table Book, non-prime attributes (attributes that do
not occur in any candidate key) are Publisher, Year and Prince
Please refer Database Normalization | Normal Forms for details of normal forms.
Question 8

WRONG
Consider the relation scheme R = {E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, M} and the set of
functional dependencies {{E, F} -> {G}, {F} -> {I, J}, {E, H} -> {K, L}, K -> {M}, L -> {N}
on R. What is the key for R?
{E, F}
{E, F, H}

C {E, F, H, K, L}
D {E}
Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE-CS-2014-(Set-1)    
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Question 8 Explanation: 
All attributes can be derived from {E, F, H} To solve these kind of questions that are
frequently asked in GATE paper, try to solve it by using shortcuts so that enough
amount of time can be saved. Fist Method: Using the given options try to obtain
closure of each options. The solution is the one that contains R and also minimal
Super Key, i.e Candidate Key.

A) {EF}+ = {EFGIJ} ≠ R(The given relation)

B) {EFH}+ = {EFGHIJKLMN} = R (Correct since each member of the

given relation is determined)

C) {EFHKL}+ = {EFGHIJKLMN} = R (Not correct although each member

of the given relation can be determined
but it is not minimal, since by the
definition
of Candidate key it should be minimal
Super Key)

D) {E}+ = {E} ≠ R
Second Method:
Since, {EFGHIJKLMN}+ = {EFGHIJKLMN}

{EFGHIJKLM}+ = {EFGHIJKLMN} ( Since L -> {N}, hence can replace N by

L)

In a similar way K -> {M} hence replace M by K

{EFGHIJKL}+ = {EFGHIJKLMN}

Again {EFGHIJ}+ = {EFGHIJKLMN} (Since {E, H} -> {K, L}, hence replace
KL by EH)

{EFGH}+ = {EFGHIJKLMN} (Since {F} -> {I, J} )

{EFH}+ = {EFGHIJKLMN} (Since {E, F} -> {G} )

This explanation is contributed by Manish Rai. Learn more here: Finding Attribute

Closure and Candidate Keys using Functional Dependencies
Question 9

CORRECT
Given the following two statements:
S1: Every table with two single-valued
attributes is in 1NF, 2NF, 3NF and BCNF.

S2: AB->C, D->E, E->C is a minimal cover for

the set of functional dependencies
AB->C, D->E, AB->E, E->C.
Which one of the following is CORRECT?
S1 is TRUE and S2 is FALSE.

B Both S1 and S2 are TRUE.

C S1 is FALSE and S2 is TRUE.
D Both S1 and S2 are FALSE.
Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE-CS-2014-(Set-1)    
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Question 9 Explanation: 

S1: Every table with two single-valued

attributes is in 1NF, 2NF, 3NF and BCNF.
A relational schema R is in BCNF iff in Every non-trivial Functional Dependency X-
>Y, X is Super Key. If we can prove the relation is in BCNF then by default it would
be in 1NF, 2NF, 3NF also. Let R(AB) be a two attribute relation, then
1. If {A->B} exists then BCNF since {A}+ = AB = R
2. If {B->A} exists then BCNF since {B}+ = AB = R
3. If {A->B,B->A} exists then BCNF since A and B both are Super Key
now.
4. If {No non trivial Functional Dependency} then default BCNF.
Hence it's proved that a Relation with two single - valued attributes is in BCNF hence
its also in 1NF, 2NF, 3NF. Hence S1 is true.
S2: AB->C, D->E, E->C is a minimal cover for
the set of functional dependencies
AB->C, D->E, AB->E, E->C.
As we know Minimal Cover is the process of eliminating redundant Functional
Dependencies and Extraneous attributes in Functional Dependency Set. So each
dependency of F = {AB->C, D->E, AB->E, E->C} should be implied in minimal cover.
As we can see AB->E is not covered in minimal cover since {AB}+ = ABC in the
given cover {AB->C, D->E, E->C} Hence, S2 is false. This explanation has been
contributed by Manish Rai. Learn more about Normal forms here: Database
Normalization | Introduction Database Normalization | Normal Forms
Question 10

WRONG
The maximum number of superkeys for the relation schema R(E,F,G,H) with E as
the key is
5

B6
C7
8
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Question 10 Explanation: 
Maximum no. of possible superkeys for a table with n attributes = 2^(n-1) Here, n =
4. So, the possible superkeys = 24-1 = 8 The possible superkeys are : E, EH, EG, EF,
EGH, EFH, EFG, EFGH

Question 11

WRONG
Which one of the following statements about normal forms is FALSE?
BCNF is stricter than 3NF
Lossless, dependency-preserving decomposi-
B tion into 3NF is always possible
Lossless, dependency-preserving decomposi-

tion into BCNF is always possible

D Any relation with two attributes is in BCNF

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Question 11 Explanation: 
See question 1 of http://www.geeksforgeeks.org/database-management-systems-
set-8/
Question 12

WRONG
Let r be a relation instance with schema R = (A, B, C, D). We define r 1 = ΠA, B, C (r) and
r2 = ΠA.D (r). Let s = r1 * r2 where * denotes natural join. Given that the decomposition
of r into r1 and r2 is lossy, which one of the following is TRUE?
 s⊂r

B r∪s
r⊂s

D r*s=s
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Question 12 Explanation: 
See Question 1 of http://www.geeksforgeeks.org/database-management-systems-
set-10/
Question 13

WRONG
Consider a relation scheme R = (A, B, C, D, E, H) on which the following functional
dependencies hold: {A–>B, BC–>D, E–>C, D–>A}. What are the candidate keys of
R?
AE, BE

B AE, BE, DE
C AEH, BEH, BCH
AEH, BEH, DEH
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Question 13 Explanation: 
See question 3 of http://www.geeksforgeeks.org/database-management-systems-
set-10/
Question 14

WRONG
Let R1 (A, B, C) and R2 (D, E) be two relation schema, where the primary keys are
shown underlined, and let C be a foreign key in R1 referring to R2. Suppose there is
no violation of the above referential integrity constraint in the corresponding relation
instances r1 and r2. Which one of the following relational algebra expressions would

necessarily produce an empty relation ? 

1
2

C3
D4
Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE-CS-2004    
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Question 14 Explanation: 
Since C is a foreign key in R1 and there is no violation of the above referential
integrity constraint, the set of values in C must be a subset of values in R2.
Question 15

WRONG
The relation scheme Student Performance (name, courseNo, rollNo, grade) has the
following functional dependencies:
name, courseNo → grade
rollNo, courseNo → grade
name → rollNo
rollNo → name
The highest normal form of this relation scheme is
2 NF
3 NF

C BCNF
D 4NF
Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE-CS-2004    
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Question 15 Explanation: 
For easy understanding let's say attributes (name, courseNo, rollNo, grade) be
(A,B,C,D). Then given FDs are as follows:
AB->D, CB->D, A->C, C->A
Here there are two Candidate keys, AB and CB. Now AB->D and CB->D satisfy
BCNF as LHS is superkey in both. But, A->C and C->A, doesn't satisfy BCNF.
Hence we check for 3NF for these 2 FDs. As C and A on RHS of both the FDs are
prime attributes, they satisfy 3NF. Hence for the whole relation the highest normal
form is 3NF.
Question 16

WRONG
Consider the relation Student (name, sex, marks), where the primary key is shown
underlined, pertaining to students in a class that has at least one boy and one girl.
What does the following relational algebra expression produce? (Note: r is the
rename

operator).   Th
e condition in join is "(sex = female ^ x = male ^ marks ≤ m)"
names of girl students with the highest marks
names of girl students with more marks than
B some boy student
names of girl students with marks not less
C than some boy students4)
names of girl students with more marks than

all the boy students

Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE-CS-2004    
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Question 16 Explanation: 
The above relational algebra expression has two sub expressions.
The first one takes as input the Student relation (Student) and filters
out all the tuples where sex=female(r sex=female (Student))
and then projects their names (P name r sex=female (Student)).
So we get a new relation with names of all the female students.
The second one takes as input the Student relation and performs a
rename
operation on one with attributes name, sex and marks renamed as n, x, m
respectively (r n, x, m(Student)) and then followed by a self-Cartesian
product on the Student relation. The condition (sex = female ^ m =
male ^ marks ≤ m)
filters tuples with all female students from the first relation,
male students from the second relation and performs a Cartesian product
where
marks of the female student is either less than or equal to a male
student and
then projects their names. So we get a new relation with names of all
female
students whose marks are lesser than at least one of the male student.
The difference operator(-) between the two subexpressions gives the names of all
female students whose marks are more than all male students of the class. (From all
the female students’ names we remove all those whose marks are at least more the
one male student) This explanation has been contributed by Yashika Arora.
Question 17

WRONG
Consider the following functional dependencies in a database:
Data_of_Birth → Age
Age → Eligibility
Name → Roll_number
Roll_number → Name
Course_number → Course_name
Course_number → Instructor
(Roll_number, Course_number) → Grade
The relation (Roll_number, Name, Date_of_birth, Age) is:
In second normal form but not in third normal

form

B In third normal form but not in BCNF

C In BCNF
None of the above
Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE-CS-2003    
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Question 17 Explanation: 
The given table is not in 2NF as age is dependent on date of birth.
Question 18

WRONG
Relation R with an associated set of functional dependencies, F is decomposed into
BCNF. The redundancy (arising out of functional dependencies) in the resulting set
relations is.
Zero
More than zero but less than that of an

equivalent 3NF decomposition

C Proportional to the size of F+
D Indeterminate
Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE-CS-2002    
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Question 18 Explanation: 
If a relational schema is in BCNF then all redundancy based on functional
dependency has been removed, although other types of redundancy may still exist.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boyce%E2%80%93Codd_normal_form
Question 19

WRONG
With regard to the expressive power of the formal relational query languages, which
of the following statements is true?
Relational algebra is more powerful than

relational calculus
Relational algebra has the same power as
B relational calculus
Relational algebra has the same power as safe

relational calculus

D None of the above

Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE-CS-2002    
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Question 19 Explanation: 

A query can be formulated in relational calculus if and only if it can be formulated in

relational algebra. So, relational algebra has the same power as relational calculus.
But, it is possible to write syntactically correct relational calculus queries that have
infinite number of answers. Such queries are unsafe. Queries that have an finite
number of answers are safe relational calculus queries.
Thus, Relational algebra has the same power as safe relational calculus.
 
Thus, option (C) is the answer.
 
Please comment below if you find anything wrong in the above post.
Question 20

WRONG
Relation R is decomposed using a set of functional dependencies, F and relation S is
decomposed using another set of functional dependencies G. One decomposition is
definitely BCNF, the other is definitely 3NF, but it is not known which is which. To
make a guaranteed identification, which one of the following tests should be used on
the decompositions? (Assume that the closures of F and G are available).
Dependency-preservation

B Lossless-join
BCNF definition

D 3NF definition
Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE-CS-2002    
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Question 20 Explanation: 
Answer is (C) since to identify BCNF we need BCNF definition. One relation which
satisfies will be in BCNF and other will be in 3NF. 1st is wrong because dependency
may be preserved by both 3NF and BCNF. 2nd is wrong Because both 3NF and
BCNF decomposition can be lossless. 4th is wrong because 3NF and BCNF both
are in 3NF also.

Question 21

WRONG
From the following instance of a relation scheme R (A, B, C), we can conclude that :
A B C
1 1 1
1 1 0
2 3 2
2 3 2
A functionally determines B and

B functionally determines C
A functionally determines B and

B B does not functionally

determine C
B does not functionally

determine C
A does not functionally
D
determine B and B does not
 functionally determine C
Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE-CS-2002    
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Question 21 Explanation: 
Generally Normalization is done on the schema itself. From the relational instance
given,we may strike out FD s that do not hold. e.g.B does not functionally determine
C(This is true). But we cannot say that A functionally determines B for the entire
relation itself. This is because that, A->B holds for this instance, but in future there
might be some tuples added to the instance that may violate A->B. So overall on the
relation we cannot conclude that A->B, from the relational instance which is just a
subset of an entire relation. Refer http://geeksquiz.com/database-normalization-
introduction/ for more details.
Question 22

WRONG
Consider a schema R(A,B,C,D) and functional dependencies A->B and C->D. Then
the decomposition of R into R1(AB) and R2(CD) is
dependency preserving and lossless join

B lossless join but not dependency preserving

dependency preserving but not lossless join
not dependency preserving and not lossless
D join
Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE-CS-2001    
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Question 22 Explanation: 
Dependency Preserving Decomposition:
Decomposition of R into R1 and R2 is a dependency preserving decomposition if
closure of functional dependencies after decomposition is same as closure of of FDs
before decomposition.
A simple way is to just check whether we can derive all the original FDs from the
FDs present after decomposition.
In the above question R(A, B, C, D) is decomposed into R1 (A, B) and R2(C, D) and there are
only two FDs A -> B and C -> D. So, the decomposition is dependency preserving
Lossless-Join Decomposition:
Decomposition of R into R1 and R2 is a lossless-join decomposition if at least one of the
following functional dependencies are in F+ (Closure of functional dependencies)
R1 ∩ R2 → R1
OR
R1 ∩ R2 → R2
In the above question R(A, B, C, D) is decomposed into R1 (A, B) and R2(C, D), and R1 ∩ R2
is empty. So, the decomposition is not lossless.
Question 23

WRONG
Suppose the adjacency relation of vertices in a graph is represented in a table
Adj(X,Y). Which of the following queries cannot be expressed by a relational algebra
expression of constant length?
List of all vertices adjacent to a given vertex

B List all vertices which have self loops

List all vertices which belong to cycles of less
C than three vertices
List all vertices reachable from a given vertex
Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE-CS-2001    
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Question 23 Explanation: 
(A) This is simple query as we need to find (X, Y) for a given X. (B) This is also
simple as need to find (X, X) (C) :-> Cycle < 3 . Means cycle of length 1 & 2. Cycle of
length 1 is easy., Same as self loop. Cycle of length 2 is is also not too hard to
compute. Though it'll be little complex, will need to do like (X,Y) & (Y, X ) both
present & X != Y,. We can do this with constant RA query. (D) :-> This is most hard
part. Here we need to find closure of vertices. This will need kind of loop. If the graph
is like skewed tree, our query must loop for O(N) Times. We can't do with constant
length query here. Answer is :-> D
Question 24

WRONG
Let r and s be two relations over the relation schemes R and S respectively, and let

A be an attribute in R. then the relational algebra expression   is

always equal to 

A

BB
C

DD
Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE-CS-2001    
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Question 24 Explanation: 
The above expression evaluates A = a for tables r and s Option A : is only
displaying attributes of table r on the select condition Option B : is only displaying
attributes of table r Option C: evaluates A = a by joining tables r and s  efficiently ,
thus correct Therefore, Answer C  
Question 25

WRONG
R(A,B,C,D) is a relation. Which of the following does not have a lossless join,
dependency preserving BCNF decomposition?
A->B, B->CD

B A->B, B->C, C->D

AB->C, C->AD

D A ->BCD
Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE-CS-2001    
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Question 25 Explanation: 
Background :
 Lossless-Join Decomposition:
Decomposition of R into R1 and R2 is a lossless-join decomposition if at
least one of the following functional dependencies are in F+ (Closure of
functional dependencies)
 R1 ∩ R2 → R1
 OR
 R1 ∩ R2 → R2
 dependency preserving :
Decomposition of R into R1 and R2 is a dependency preserving
decomposition if closure of functional dependencies after decomposition
is same as closure of of FDs before decomposition.
A simple way is to just check whether we can derive all the original FDs
from the FDs present after decomposition.
Question : We know that for lossless decomposition common attribute should be
candidate key in one of the relation. A) A->B, B->CD R1(AB) and R2(BCD) B is the
key of second and hence decomposition is lossless. B) A->B, B->C, C->D R1(AB)
, R2(BC), R3(CD) B is the key of second and C is the key of third, hence
lossless. C) AB->C, C->AD R1(ABC), R2(CD) C is key of second, but C->A violates
BCNF condition in ABC as C is not a key. We cannot decompose ABC further as
AB->C dependency would be lost. D) A ->BCD Already in BCNF. Therefore,
Option C AB->C, C->AD is the answer.
Question 26

WRONG
Which of the following relational calculus expressions is not

safe? 

AA
B
C

DD
Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE-CS-2001    
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Question 26 Explanation: 
A tuple relational calculus expression may at times generate an infinite relation. It may
also contain values that do not even appear in the database. Such expressions are
said to be unsafe. A safe tuple relational calculus expression is the one which surely
generates finite results. To pose a restriction over the unsafety of expressions in tuple
relational calculus there is a concept of domain of a tuple relational formula denoted
by dom (P) is the set of values referenced by P i.e. values there in P or values in
tuple of a relation mentioned in P. Eg: The expression {t | ¬ (t € R)} is not safe
because there are infinitely many tuples that do not occur in R relation . In the above
question Options (A), (B) and option (D) produce finite set of tuples as each gives
out tuples restricted from a particular relation and hence are safe. Option (C)
produces infinite number of tuples as it generates all the tuples not in R1 i.e. it can
have tuples from any other relation other than R1.Hence it is not
safe. codex.cs.yale.edu/avi/db-book/db6/slide-dir/PPT-dir/ch6.ppt This solution is
contributed by Yashika Arora.  
Question 27

WRONG
Consider a relation geq which represents “greater than or equal to”, that is, (x,y) ∈
geq only if y >= x.
create table geq
(
ib integer not null
ub integer not null
primary key 1b
foreign key (ub) references geq on delete cascade
)
Which of the following is possible if a tuple (x,y) is deleted?
A tuple (z,w) with z > y is deleted

B A tuple (z,w) with z > x is deleted

A tuple (z,w) with w < x is deleted

D The deletion of (x,y) is prohibited

Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE-CS-2001    
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Question 27 Explanation: 
In the above question, the relation schema is ( lb , ub ), where lb is the primary key,
and ub is the foreign key which is referencing the primary key of its own relation.
Hence the table geq is both the master ( which has the referenced key ) as well as
the child table (which has the referencing key). The table has two constraint, one is
that if there is a tuple ( x, y ), then y is greater than or equal to x, And the other is
referential integrity constraint, which is on-cascade-delete on the foreign key. On-
cascade-delete says, that "When the referenced row is deleted from the other table
(master table), then delete also from the child table".
Suppose the instance in the given relation is the following:

x y
-----
5 6
4 5
3 4
6 6
Now if we delete tuple (5,6) then tuple ( 4,5 ) should also be deleted ( as 5 in the
tuple (4, 5) was referencing to 5 in the tuple(5,6) which no longer exist, hence the
referencing tuple should also be deleted), and as (4,5) got deleted hence tuple (3,4)
should also be deleted for the same reason. Therefore in total 3 rows have to be
deleted if tuple ( 5,6 ) is deleted. Now from the above instance we can say that if
(x,y), i.e. ( 5,6 ) gets deleted then a tuple ( z, w) i.e, ( 3, 4) is also deleted. And we
can see here that w < x. Hence option C.
Question 28

WRONG
Given the relations
employee (name, salary, deptno) and
department (deptno, deptname, address)
Which of the following queries cannot be expressed using the basic relational
algebra operations (U, -, x,  ,   , p)?
Department address of every employee
 Employees whose name is the same as their
B department name
The sum of all employees’ salaries

D All employees of a given department

Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE-CS-2000    
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Question 28 Explanation: 
See question 1 of http://www.geeksforgeeks.org/database-management-system-set-
1/
Question 29

WRONG
Given the following relation instance.
x y z
1 4 2
1 5 3
1 6 3
3 2 2
Which of the following functional dependencies are satisfied by the instance? (GATE
CS 2000)
XY -> Z and Z -> Y
YZ -> X and Y -> Z

C YZ -> X and X -> Z

D XZ -> Y and Y -> X
Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE-CS-2000    
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Question 29 Explanation: 
See question 2 of http://www.geeksforgeeks.org/database-management-system-set-
1/
Question 30

WRONG
Consider an Entity-Relationship (ER) model in which entity sets E1 and E2 are
connected by an m : n relationship R12, E1 and E3 are connected by a 1 : n (1 on the
side of E1 and n on the side of E3) relationship R 13. E1 has two single-valued
attributes a11 and a12 of which a11 is the key attribute. E2 has two single-valued
attributes a21 and a22 is the key attribute. E3 has two single-valued attributes a 31 and
a32 of which a31 is the key attribute. The relationships do not have any attributes. If a
relational model is derived from the above ER model, then the minimum number of
relations that would be generated if all the relations are in 3NF is ___________.

A2
3
4

D5
Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE-CS-2015 (Set 1)    
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Question 30 Explanation: 
Entity E1.
a1 a12
--------
a11 is key

Entity E2
a21 a22
--------
a22 is key

Entity E3
a31 a32
--------
a31 is key

R12 is m:n Relationship between E1 and E2

R12
a11 a22
-------------
(a11, a22) is key.

R13 is 1:n Relationship between E1 and E3

R13
a11 a31
-----------
(a11, a31) is key.

We need minimum no. of tables.

Can we remove any of the above tables without
loosing information and keeping the relations in 3NF?

We can combine R13 and R12 into one.

a11 a31 a22
------------------
(a11, a31, a22) is key.

The relation is still in 3NF as for every functional

dependency X -> A, one of the following holds
1) X is a superkey or
2) A-X is prime attribute
Question 31

WRONG
Consider the relation X(P, Q, R, S, T, U) with the following set of functional
dependencies
F = {
{P, R} → {S,T},
{P, S, U} → {Q, R}
}
Which of the following is the trivial functional dependency in F+ is closure of F?
{P,R}→{S,T}

B {P,R}→{R,T}
{P,S}→{S}

D {P,S,U}→{Q}
Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE-CS-2015 (Set 3)    
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Question 31 Explanation: 
A functional dependency X -> Y is trivial if Y is a subset of X.
Question 32

WRONG
Consider the following entity relationship diagram (ERD), where two entities E1 and
E2 have a relation R of cardinality 1 : m.

The attributes of E1 are A11, A12 and A13 where A11 is the key attribute. The
attributes of E2 are A21, A22 and A23 where A21 is the key attribute and A23 is a
multi-valued attribute. Relation R does not have any attribute. A relational database
containing minimum number of tables with each table satisfying the requirements of
the third normal form (3NF) is designed from the above ERD. The number of tables
in the database is
2
3

C5
D4
Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE-IT-2004    
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Question 32 Explanation: 
Step 1: 1NF T1: A11, A12, A13 T2: A11, A21, A22, A23  //because A23 is
multivalued ,it has to be included in Key attribute Step 2: 2NF // A23 is Multivalued
attribute and not allowed in 2NF therefore new tables are: T1: A11, A12, A13 T2:
A11, A21, A22 T3: A21, A23 Step 3: 3NF // There is no transitive functional
dependency in all tables , So in 3NF Therefore answer is B
Question 33

WRONG
A relational database contains two tables student and department in which student
table has columns roll_no, name and dept_id and department table has columns
dept_id and dept_name. The following insert statements were executed successfully
to populate the empty tables:
Insert into department values (1, 'Mathematics')
Insert into department values (2, 'Physics')
Insert into student values (l, 'Navin', 1)
Insert into student values (2, 'Mukesh', 2)
Insert into student values (3, 'Gita', 1)
How many rows and columns will be retrieved by the following SQL statement?
Select * from student, department
0 row and 4 columns

B 3 rows and 4 columns

C 3 rows and 5 columns
6 rows and 5 columns
Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE-IT-2004    
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Question 33 Explanation: 
Simple,Cartesian product of two tables will result
Rows = 3*2 = 6 
Columns = 3+2 = 5
Option (D) is correct.  
Question 34

WRONG
Consider the entities 'hotel room', and 'person' with a many to many relationship

'lodging' as shown below: If we

wish to store information about the rent payment to be made by person (s) occupying
different hotel rooms, then this information should appear as an attribute of  
Person

B Hotel Room
Lodging

D None of these
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Question 34 Explanation: 
  Lodging is the only attribute relating person and hotel room.
Question 35

CORRECT
A table has fields Fl, F2, F3, F4, F5 with the following functional dependencies   F1
→ F3   F2→ F4   (F1 . F2) → F5 In terms of Normalization, this table is in  
1 NF

B 2 NF
C 3 NF
D none
Database Design(Normal Forms)    Gate IT 2005    
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Question 35 Explanation: 
  First Normal Form A relation is in first normal form if every attribute in that relation
is singled valued attribute. Second Normal Form A relation is in 2NF iff it has No
Partial Dependency, i.e., no non-prime attribute (attributes which are not part of any
candidate key) is dependent on any proper subset of any candidate key of the table.
This table has Partial Dependency f1->f3, f2-> f4 given (F1,F2) is Key So answer
is A
Question 36

WRONG
Which of the following is NOT a superkey in a relational schema with attributes V, W,
X, Y, Z and primary key V Y ?
VXYZ
VWXZ
C VWXY
D VWXYZ
Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE-CS-2016 (Set 1)    
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Question 36 Explanation: 
Super key = Candidate Key + other attributes. But option B does not include Y which
is a part of PK or candidate key.
Question 37

WRONG
Let R (A, B, C, D, E, P, G) be a relational schema in which the following functional
dependencies are known to hold: AB → CD, DE → P, C → E, P → C and B → G.
The relational schema R is
in BCNF

B in 3NF, but not in BCNF

C in 2NF, but not in 3NF
not in 2NF
Database Design(Normal Forms)    Gate IT 2008    
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Question 37 Explanation: 
Candidate key = AB
B->G is partial dependency
So, not in 2NF
Question 38

CORRECT
Which option is true about the SQL query given below?
SELECT firstName, lastName
FROM Employee
WHERE lastName BETWEEN 'A%' AND 'D%';
It will display all the employees having last

names starting with the alphabets 'A' till 'D'

inclusive of A and exclusive of D.

It will throw an error as BETWEEN can only
B be used for Numbers and not strings.
 It will display all the employees having last
C names starting from 'A' and ending with 'D'.
It will display all the employees having last

names in the range of starting alphabets as 'A'

D and 'D' excluding the names starting with 'A'
and 'D'.
Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE 2017 Mock    
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Question 38 Explanation: 
The BETWEEN operator works with the range of character values also.
Question 39

WRONG
Which of the given options define a transaction correctly?
A transaction consists of DDL statements on

the database schema.

A transaction consists of COMMIT or
B ROLLBACK in a database session.
A transaction consists of either a collection of

DML statements or a DDL or DCL or TCL

statement to form a logical unit of work in a

database session.
A transaction consists of collection of DML

D and DDL statements in different sessions of

the database.
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Question 39 Explanation: 
A database transaction consists of one or more DML statements to constitute one
consistent change in data, or a DDL statement or a DCL command (GRANT or
REVOKE). It starts with the first DML statement and ends with a DCL or DDL or TCL
(COMMIT or ROLLBACK) command. Note that DDL and DCL commands hold auto
commit feature.
Question 40
 WRONG
Let R = ( A, B, C, D, E, F ) be a relation scheme with the following dependencies:
C→F, E→A, EC→D, A→B. Which of the following is a key of R?
CD
EC

C AE
D AC
Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE CS 1999    
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Question 40 Explanation: 
To check find the closure for all {CD} = {CDF} {EC} = {ECDAFB} Only this is the key
because it drives all attributes. {AE} = {AEB} {AC} = {ACBF} Hence, Option (B) is
Correct.
Question 41

WRONG
Consider the schema R= ( S, T, U, V ) and the dependencies S→T, T→U, U→V and
V→S. Let R (R1 and R2) be a decomposition such that R1∩R2 ≠ Ø. The
decomposition is:
Not in 2NF

B In 2NF but not in 3NF

C In 3NF but not in 2NF
In both 2NF and 3NF
Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE CS 1999    
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Question 41 Explanation: 
R1∩R2 ≠ Ø means there is common attribute in R1 and R2. Now if we choose a
decomposition positively then we can choose something like R1(S, T, U) and R2(U,
V) then we can say that decomposition is lossless because common attribute is U
and LHS of every FDs are candidate key, therefore it is in 2NF as well as 3NF.
Option (D) is correct.
Question 42

WRONG
Which normal form is considered adequate for normal relational database design?

A 2NF
B 5NF
4NF
3NF
Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE CS 1998    
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Question 42 Explanation: 
3NF is sufficient because because most of the 3NF tables are free of insertion,
update, and deletion anomalies. Moreover, 3NF always ensures functional
dependency preserving and lossless. So, option (D) is correct.
Question 43
Consider the following database relations containing the attributes
Book_id
Subject_Category_of_book
Name_of_Author
Nationality_of_Author

with Book_id as the Primary Key.

 (a). What is the highest normal form satisfied by this relation ?
 (b). Suppose the attributes Book_title and Author_address are added to the
relation, and the primary key is changed to (Name_of_Author, Book_Title),
what will be the highest normal form satisfied by the relation?
Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE CS 1998    
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Question 44

CORRECT
For a database relation R(a,b,c,d), where the domains a, b, c, d include only atomic
values, only the following functional dependencies and those that can be inferred
from them hold:
{ a → c, b → d }
This relation is
in first normal form but not in second normal

form
in second normal form but not in first normal
B form
C in third normal form
D None of the above
Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE CS 1997    
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Question 44 Explanation: 
Candidate Key of above relation is :- ab only. a and b is partial attribute (part of the
CK) that’s why the given FD is partially dependents. In 2NF there must not be
partially dependents FD and we know that every table is already in 1NF. Hence, this
relation is in first normal form but not in second normal form. Option (A) is correct.
Question 45

WRONG
Which of the following FD can’t be implied from FD set: {A->B, A->BC, C->D} ?
A->C
B->D

C BC->D
D All of the above
Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE CS Mock 2018    
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Question 45 Explanation: 
A->C can be implied by A->BC and BC->D can be implied by C->D. But we can not
get B->D sing given functional dependencies. Option (B) is correct.
Question 46

CORRECT
Consider a database with the following schema:
Person ( name, age, gender )
name is a key
Frequents ( name, pizzeria )
(name, pizzeria) is a key
Eats ( name, pizza )
(name, pizza) is a key
Serves ( pizzeria, pizza, price )
(pizzeria, pizza) is a key
Relational algebra expression for query "Names of all people who frequent only
pizzeria's serving at least one pizza they eat" is

C
DNone of the above
Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE CS Mock 2018    
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Question 46 Explanation: 
Find names of all people who frequent only pizzerias serving at least one pizza they
eat :

Option (B) is correct.

Question 47

WRONG
How many minimum relation tables are required which satisfy

1NF? 
2, 2, and 1 respectively

B 2, 2, and 2 respectively
1, 2, and 1 respectively

D 1, 1, and 1 respectively
Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE CS Mock 2018 | Set 2    
Discuss it

Question 47 Explanation: 
First ER model will required minimum number of two tables for 1NF with {E2R}, and
{E1}. "Many" side of the relation can be merged because it is many to one relation
and participation is partial both sides of the relation. Second ER model will required
minimum number of two tables for 1NF with {E2R}, and {E1}. "One" side entity
cannot be merged because it has total participation in "many" side of the relationship
and "one" side of the relationship is participating partially. Third ER model will
required minimum number of 1 table if no redundancy is occurred. It is a many to
many relationship but total participation is here both sides of the relationship.
Therefore, (A) 2, 2, and 1 respectively is correct.
Question 48

WRONG
Consider the following four relational schemas. For each schema, all non-trivial
functional dependencies are listed, The underlined attributes are the respective
primary keys.
 Schema I: Registration(rollno, courses) Field ‘courses’ is a set-valued attribute
containing the set of courses a student has registered for. Non-trivial functional
dependency rollno → courses
 Schema II: Registration (rollno, coursid, email) Non-trivial functional
dependencies: rollno, courseid → email email → rollno
 Schema III: Registration (rollno, courseid, marks, grade) Non-trivial functional
dependencies: rollno, courseid, → marks, grade marks → grade
 Schema IV: Registration (rollno, courseid, credit) Non-trivial functional
dependencies: rollno, courseid → credit courseid → credit
Which one of the relational schemas above is in 3NF but not in BCNF?

A Schema I
Schema II
Schema III

D Schema IV
Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE CS 2018    
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Question 48 Explanation: 
 Schema I: Registration(rollno, courses) Field ‘courses’ is a set-valued
attribute containing the set of courses a student has registered for. Non-
trivial functional dependency rollno → courses Since, rollno is primary
key, so this relation is in BCNF as well as 3 NF.
 Schema II: Registration (rollno, coursid, email) Non-trivial functional
dependencies: rollno, courseid → email email → rollno Since, {rollno,
coursid} is primary key so rollno and coursid are prime attributes. email
is non-prime attribute. Functional depedency (FD) rollno, courseid →
email is in BCNF and 3NF, but FD email → rollno violates the rule of
BCNF because email is not superkey. But it satifies rule of 3 NF because
rollno is prime-attribute. So, overall this relation is in 3 NF but not in
BCNF.
 Schema III: Registration (rollno, courseid, marks, grade) Non-trivial
functional dependencies: rollno, courseid, → marks, grade marks →
grade Since rollno, courseid is primary key, so rollno and courseid are
prime attributes and marks and grade are non-prime attributes.
FD rollno, courseid, → marks, grade satisfies BCNF as well as 3 NF.
FD marks → grade does not satifies 3 NF because nither marks is
superkey nor grade is prime-attribute. So, aslo can not be in BCNF. So,
 overall this relation is not in 3 NF and not in BCNF but it does not
violates rule of 2 NF, so can be only in 2 NF.
 Schema IV: Registration (rollno, courseid, credit) Non-trivial functional
dependencies: rollno, courseid → credit courseid → credit Since, rollno,
courseid is primary key, so rollno and courseid are prime-attributes and
credit is non-prime attribute. FD rollno, courseid → credit satifies
BCNF as well as 3 NF. FD courseid → credit violates rule of 2 NF, so
can not be in 2NF. So, overall this is not in 2 NF, 3 NF, and BCNF. But
it is only in 1 NF.
Therefore only schema-II is in 3 NF but not in BCNF. Option (B) is correct.
Question 49

WRONG
In RDBMS, different classes of relations are created using __________ technique to
prevent modification anomalies.
Functional Dependencies

B Data integrity
C Referential integrity
Normal Forms
ER and Relational Models    Database Design(Normal Forms)    UGC-NET CS
2017 Nov - II    
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Question 49 Explanation: 
Functional dependency is a constraint that describes the relationship between
attributes in a relation. Data integrity refers to the accuracy and consistency of data
stored in a database, data warehouse, data mart or other construct. Referential
integrity is a relational database concept, which states that table relationships must
always be consistent. Normalization is a process of organizing the data in database
to avoid data redundancy, insertion anomaly, update anomaly & deletion anomaly.
1NF, 2NF, 3NF and BCNF are types of normal forms. So, option (D) is correct.
Question 50

WRONG
Consider the following table : Faculty (facName, dept, office, rank, dateHired)
FACNA DE OFFI DATEHI
RANK
ME PT CE RED

Profess
Ravi Art A101 1975
or
Assista
Murali Math M201 2000
nt
Narayan Art A101 Associ 1992
 an ate
Profess
Lakshmi Math M201 1982
or
Profess
Mohan CSC C101 1980
or
Profess
Lakshmi Math M201 1982
or
Associ
Sreeni Math M203 1990
ate
Instruct
Tanuja CSC C101 2001
or
Associ
Ganesh CSC C105 1995
ate
(Assume that no faculty member within a single department has same name. Each
faculty member has only one office identified in office). 3NF refers to third normal
form and BCNF refers to Boyee-Codd Normal Form Then Faculty is

A Not in 3NF, in BCNF

In 3NF, not in BCNF

C In 3NF, in BCNF
Not in 3NF, not in BCNF
Database Design(Normal Forms)    ISRO CS 2017    
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Question 50 Explanation: 
There are two non-trivial functional dependencies (FD) in given table:
facName → dept, office, rank, datehired
office → dept
Given, Each faculty member has only one office identified in office, that
means facName is the primary key (so superkey). Therefore, FD facName → dept,
office, rank, datehired is in 3 NF as well as in BCNF, because facName is the
primary key. But FD office → dept is not in BCNF because office is not superkey
but dept is in 3 NF as dept is the prime attribute because {dept, rank} is super key.
So, overall relation Faculty is in 3 NF but not in BCNF. Option (B) is correct.

Question 51

WRONG
If every non-key attribute is functionally dependent on the primary key, then the
relation is in __________ .
First normal form
Second normal form

C Third normal form

D Fourth normal form
Database Design(Normal Forms)    UGC-NET CS 2017 Nov - III    
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Question 51 Explanation: 
Conditions for various normal forms:
1. 1 NF - A relation R is in first normal form (1NF) if and only if all
underlying domains contain atomic values only.
2. 2 NF - A relation R is in second normal form (2NF) if and only if it is in
1NF and every non-key attribute is fully dependent on the primary key.
3. 3 NF - A relation R is in third normal form (3NF) if and only if it is in
2NF and every non-key attribute is non-transitively dependent on the
primary key.
4. BCNF - A relation R is in Boyce-Codd normal form (BCNF) if and only
if every determinant is a candidate key.
Example: Relation R(XYZ) with functional dependencies {X -> Y, Y -> Z, X -> Z}.
Notice here Y -> Z, in question it is not mention that non prime attribute
is only dependent on primary key so this FD is perfectly valid. This relation is in 2NF
but not in 3NF because of every non-key attribute is transitively dependent on the
primary key. Here {X} will be candidate key. So, option (B) is correct.
Question 52

CORRECT
Consider a schema R(A, B, C, D) and following functional dependencies.
A → B
B → C
C → D
D → B
Then decomposition of R into R1 (A, B), R2(B, C) and R3(B, D) is __________ .
Dependency preserving and lossless join.

B Lossless join but not dependency preserving.

C Dependency preserving but not lossless join.
Not dependency preserving and not lossless
D join.
Database Design(Normal Forms)    UGC-NET CS 2017 Nov - III    
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Question 52 Explanation: 
Schema R(A, B, C, D) is decomposed into three relation → R 1 (A, B), R2(B, C) and
R3(B, D) Now dependecies derived from R1 (A, B) are: A → B B → C but C is not
attribute here in this relation. Dependencies derived from R 1 (B, C) are: B → C C →
D D is not the attribute in relation. Dependecies derived from R 1 (B, D) are: D → B B
→ C C → D All the dependecies are preserved and it is a lossless decomposition.
So, option (A) is correct.
Question 53

CORRECT
An attribute A of datatype varchar (20) has value ‘Ram’ and the attribute B of
datatype char (20) has value ‘Sita’ in oracle. The attribute A has _______ memory
spaces and B has _______ memory spaces.

A 20,20
3,20

C 3,4
D 20,4
Database Design(Normal Forms)    UGC NET CS 2017 Jan - II    
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Question 53 Explanation: 
varchar will acquire the exact memory of attribute and it varies from tuple to tuple
while char will acquire memory space which is define at the time of table creation it is
fixed: varchar(20) 'Ram' will take 3 and 'Sita' will take 20 character space in memory.
So, option (B) is correct.
Question 54

WRONG
Consider a schema R(MNPQ) and functional dependencies M → N, P → Q. Then
the decomposition of R into R1 (MN) and R2(PQ) is________.
Dependency preserving but not lossless join
Dependency preserving and lossless join

C Lossless join but not dependency preserving

Neither dependency preserving nor lossless
D join.
Database Design(Normal Forms)    UGC NET CS 2017 Jan - II    
Discuss it

Question 54 Explanation: 
Schema R(MNPQ) is decomposed into R1(MN) M → N is preserved and R2(PQ) P →
Q is also preserved, dependency will be preserved and there will be no loss of any
dependency. So, option (A) is correct.
Question 55

WRONG
For a database relation R(A, B, C, D) where the domains of A, B, C and D include
only atomic values, only the following functional dependencies and those that can be
inferred from them are : A → C B → D The relation R is in _______.
First normal form but not in second normal

form.
Both in first normal form as well as in second

normal form.
Second normal form but not in third normal
C form.
Both in second normal form as well as in
D third normal form.
Database Design(Normal Forms)    UGC NET CS 2017 Jan - III    
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Question 55 Explanation: 
A relation is in first normal form if every attribute in that relation is single valued
attribute. It is in 1NF. {A,B} are prime attribtes and {C,D} are non-prime attribute. A + =
{A,C} B+ = {B,D} {A,B}+ = {A,B,C,D} so AB is the key. But A+ = {A,C} B+ = {B,D} makes
it partial dependency. So, this relation is not in 2NF. So, option (A) is correct.
Question 56

WRONG
Let R = (A, B, C, D, E, F) be a relation schema with the following dependencies C-
>F, E->A, EC->D, A->B. Which of the following is a key of R?
CD
EC

C AE
D AC
Database Design(Normal Forms)    ISRO CS 2015    
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Question 56 Explanation: 
Functional Dependencies of R = C->F, E->A, EC->D, A->B Through the attributes C
and E, we get all other attributes present in R. So, EC is the key of R.
Question 57

WRONG
DBMS provides the facility of accessing data from a database through
DDL
DML

C DBA
D Schema
Database Design(Normal Forms)    UGC NET CS 2016 Aug – II    
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Question 57 Explanation: 
1- DML stands for data manipulation language. The SQL commands that deals with
the manipulation of data present in the database belong to DML or Data
Manipulation Language including retrieving, storing, modification, deletion, insertion
and updation of data in a database. Examples of DML: SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE,
DELETE. 2- DDL - Data Definition Language - This commands in SQL includes the
creation, deletion and modification of structure of database objects. Examples of
DDL commands: CREATE, DROP, ALTER, TRUNCATE, COMMENT, RENAME. It
provides the facility of accessing data from a database. 3- Functions of a DBA
include: Schema definition, Storage structure and access-method definition, Schema
and physical-organization modification, Granting of authorization for data access,
Routine maintenance. 4- Schema: The term "schema" refers to the organization of
data as a blueprint of how the database is constructed (divided into database tables
in the case of relational databases). The formal definition of a database schema is a
set of formulas (sentences) called integrity constraints imposed on a database. So,
option (A) is correct.
Question 58

CORRECT
Consider a database table R with attributes A and B. Which of the following SQL
queries is illegal ?

A SELECT A FROM R;
SELECT A, COUNT(*) FROM R;
SELECT A, COUNT(*) FROM R GROUP
C BY A;
SELECT A, B, COUNT(*) FROM R
D GROUP BY A, B;
Database Design(Normal Forms)    UGC NET CS 2016 Aug – II    
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Question 58 Explanation: 
SELECT A FROM R; legal query SELECT A, COUNT(*) FROM R; Illegal
query because we can't SELECT A, COUNT(*) unless it is grouped by A. SELECT
A, COUNT(*) FROM R GROUP BY A; legal query SELECT A, B, COUNT(*) FROM
R GROUP BY A, B; legal query So, option (B) is correct.
Question 59

CORRECT
Consider the schema R(A, B, C, D) and the functional dependencies A->B and C-
>D. If the decomposition is made as R1(A,B) and R2(C,D), then which of the
following is TRUE?
Preserves dependency but cannot perform

lossless join
Preserves dependency and performs lossless
B join
Does not perform dependency and cannot
C perform lossless join
Does not preserve dependency but perform
D lossless join
Database Design(Normal Forms)    ISRO CS 2014    
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Question 59 Explanation: 
schema: R(A, B, C, D)
functional dependencies: A->B and C->D
Decomposed Schema: R1(A,B) and R2(C,D)
Check for dependency preserving: A decomposition is said to be dependency
preserving if F+ = (F1 ∪ F2 ∪ .. Fn)+,where F+ = total functional dependencies(FDs)
on universal relation R, and F1 = set of FDs of R1, F2 = set of FDs of R2 and so on.
R1(A,B)
A->B is covered
R2(C,D)
C->D is covered.
Both the functional dependencies are covered, so FD preserving. Check for
lossless join: Decomposition of R into R1 and R2 is a lossless-join decomposition if
at least one of the following functional dependencies are in F+
R1 ∩ R2 -> R1
R1 ∩ R2 -> R2
Here, R1(A,B) ∩ R2(C,D) = null So, it can not perform a lossless join. Option (A) is
correct.
Question 60

WRONG
Which of the following statements is/are True regarding some advantages that an
object-oriented DBMS (OODBMS) offers over a relational database ? I. An
OODBMS avoids the “impedance mismatch” problem. II. An OODBMS avoids the
“phantom” problem. III. An OODBMS provides higher performance concurrency
control than most relational databases. IV. An OODBMS provides faster access to
individual data objects once they have been read from disk.
II and III only
I and IV only

C I, II, and III only

D I, III and IV only
Database Design(Normal Forms)    UGC NET CS 2016 Aug - III    
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Question 60 Explanation: 
 An OODBMS avoids the “impedance mismatch” problem.Correct.
 An OODBMS doesn't avoids the “phantom” problem.
 An OODBMS doesn't provides higher performance concurrency control
than most relational databases. Since it is distributed.
 An OODBMS provides faster access to individual data objects once they
have been read from disk.Correct
SO, option (B) is correct.
Question 61

WRONG
Let x, y, z, a, b, c be the attributes of an entity set E. If {x}, {x,y}, {a,b}, {a,b,c}, {x,y,z}
are superkeys then which of the following are the candidate keys?
{x,y} and {a,b}
{x} and {a,b}

C {x,y,z} and {a,b,c}

D {z} and {c}
Database Design(Normal Forms)    ISRO CS 2014    
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Question 61 Explanation: 
A Candidate key is the minimal Superkey i.e. it is a minimal set of attributes required
to identify a tuple. {x} ; {a,b} are the candidate keys for the above schema as they do
not contain any extraneous attribute. So, option (B) is correct.
Question 62

WRONG
Which one of the following pairs is correctly matched in the context of database
design? 

(1)

B (2)
C (3)
(4)
Database Design(Normal Forms)    UGC NET CS 2016 Aug - III    
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Question 62 Explanation: 
 Result of taking a subset of a higher-level entity set to form a lower-level
entity set is Specialization
 Result of taking the union of two or more disjoint(lower-level) entity sets
to produce a higher-level entity set is Generalization
 An abstraction in which relationship sets (along with their associated
entity sets) are treated as higher-level entity sets, and can participate in
relationships.Aggregation
 Express the number of entities to which another entity can be associated
via a relationship set Mapping cardinalities
So, option (D) is correct.
Question 63

WRONG
Consider the following table < img src = "https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/wp-
content/uploads/ISRO64.png "> The table is in which normal form?

A First Normal Form

Second Normal Form
Third Normal Form but not BCNF

D Third Normal Form but not BCNF

Database Design(Normal Forms)    ISRO CS 2014    
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Question 64

WRONG
In RDBMS, the constraint that no key attribute (column) may be NULL is referred to
as:

A Referential integrity
Multi-valued dependency
Entity Integrity

D Functional dependency
Database Design(Normal Forms)    UGC NET CS 2016 July – II    
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Question 64 Explanation: 
 In RDBMS, the constraint that no key attribute (column) may be NULL
is referred to as Entity Interity
 Referential integrity states that table relationships must always be
consistent.
 Multi-valued dependencyis a full constraint between two sets of
attributes in a relation
 Functional dependency is a relationship that exists when one attribute
uniquely determines another attribute.
So, option (C) is correct.
Question 65

WRONG
Which of the following statements is TRUE? D1 : The decomposition of the schema
R(A, B, C) into R1(A, B) and R2 (A, C) is always lossless. D2 : The decomposition of
the schema R(A, B, C, D, E) having AD → B, C → DE, B → AE and AE → C, into
R1 (A, B, D) and R2 (A, C, D, E) is lossless.
Both D1 and D2

B Neither D  nor D1 2

C Only D 1

Only D2
Database Design(Normal Forms)    UGC NET CS 2016 July – III    
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Question 65 Explanation: 
Only D2 is True because AD is key and present in both the tables. D1 is not always
true because FD’s not given and if we take B->A and C->A then it is lossy
decomposition because no common attributes contain key from one of the table.
Question 66

WRONG
Consider the following dependencies and the BOOK table in a relational database
design. Determine the normal form of the given relation.
ISBN → Title
ISBN → Publisher
Publisher → Address
First Normal Form
Second Normal Form

C Third Normal Form

D BCNF
Database Design(Normal Forms)    ISRO CS 2013    
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Question 66 Explanation: 
Candidate key = ISBN For a relation having functional dependencies of the form α →
β, a relation is in 2-NF if: i) α should not be a proper subset of the candidate key, or,
ii) β - α should be a prime attribute. First condition satisfies as the candidate key
contains only one attribute. So, this relation is in 2-NF
Question 67

WRONG
Consider a “CUSTOMERS” database table having a column “CITY” filled with all the
names of Indian cities (in capital letters). The SQL statement that finds all cities that
have “GAR” somewhere in its name, is:
Select * from customers where city =
 ‘%GAR%’;
Select * from customers where city =
B ‘$GAR$’;
Select * from customers where city like

‘%GAR%’;
Select * from customers where city as
D ‘%GAR’;
Database Design(Normal Forms)     UGC NET CS 2015 Dec - II    
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Question 68

CORRECT
match the following datbas terms to their
function: 

A (1)
(2)

C (3)
D (4)
Database Design(Normal Forms)     UGC NET CS 2015 Dec - II    
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Question 68 Explanation: 
 Normalization reduces data redundancy in a database
  Data Dictionary contains metadata describing database structuredefines
view(s) of the database for particular user(s)
 Referential Integrity enforces match of primary key to foreign key
 External Schema defines view(s) of the database for particular user(s)
So, option (B) is correct.
Question 69

WRONG
Data which improves the performance and accessibility of the database are called:
Indexes
User Data

C Application Metadata
D Data Dictionary
Database Design(Normal Forms)     UGC NET CS 2015 Dec - II    
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Question 69 Explanation: 
Data which improves the performance and accessibility of the database are called
indexes because index is a type of any data which improves the lookup table. Simply
we can say that an index is a pointer to data in a table which increases the
accessibility in a book or databases, we can easily access any information with the
help of index. Option (A) is correct
Question 70

CORRECT
Which type of DBMS provides support for maintaining several versions of the same
entity?

A Relational Database Management System

B Hierarchical
Object Oriented Database Management

System

D Network
Database Design(Normal Forms)    ISRO CS 2011    
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Question 70 Explanation: 
Object Oriented Database Management Systems allow object-oriented programmers
to develop the product, store them as objects, and replicate or modify existing
objects to make new objects within the OODBMS. Option (C) is correct.
Question 71

WRONG
Which normal form is based on the concept of 'full functional dependency'?
First Normal Form
Second Normal Form

C Third Normal Form

D Fourth Normal Form
Database Design(Normal Forms)    ISRO CS 2011    
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Question 71 Explanation: 
A full functional dependency is a state of database normalization similar to Second
Normal Form (2NF). It means that the schema should meet the requirements of First
Normal Form (1NF), and all non-key attributes are fully functionally dependent on the
primary key and partial dependency on the candidate key should not exist. So,
Option (B) is correct.
Question 72

CORRECT
Consider the following database table: Create table test( one integer, two integer,
primary key(one), unique(two), check(one >= 1 and <= 10), check(two >= 1 and <=
5) ); How many data records/tuples atmost can this table containt?
5

B 10
C 15
D 50
Database Design(Normal Forms)    UGC NET CS 2015 Dec – III    
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Question 72 Explanation: 
check(one >= 1 and <= 10), check(two >= 1 and <= 5).
Here second constraint will decide the no of tuples(record). Or we can say that the
common condition will dominate.
i.e. check(two >= 1 and <= 5) 5 tuples.
So, option (A) is correct.
Question 73

WRONG
Consider the following three tables R, S and T. In this question, all the join
operations are natural joins (⨝). (π) is the projection operation of a

relation:   (a
)   (b)   (c

)   (d) 
(a)
(b)

C (c)
D (d)
Database Design(Normal Forms)    UGC NET CS 2015 Dec – III    
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Question 74

WRONG
Purpose of 'Foreign Key' in a table is to ensure
Null Integrity
Referential Integrity
C Domain Integrity
D Null and Domain Integrity
Database Design(Normal Forms)    ISRO CS 2009    
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Question 74 Explanation: 
A FOREIGN KEY is a field (or collection of fields) in one table that refers to the
PRIMARY KEY in another table. The table containing the foreign key is called the
child table, and the table containing the candidate key is called the referenced or
parent table. Although there may be exceptions, the values in the foreign key
columns usually must correspond to values existing in the set of primary key values.
This correspondence requirement is created in a database using a referential
integrity constraint on the foreign key. Option (B) is correct.
Question 75

WRONG
Select the 'False' statement from the following statements about Normal Forms:
Lossless preserving decomposition into 3NF

is always possible
Lossless preserving decomposition into

BCNF is always possible

C Any Relation with two attributes is in BCNF

D BCNF is stronger than 3NF
Database Design(Normal Forms)    UGC NET CS 2015 Jun - III    
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Question 75 Explanation: 
 Lossless preserving decomposition into 3NF is always possible. True
 Lossless preserving decomposition into BCNF is always possible. False Not
always possible.
 Any Relation with two attributes is in BCNF. True
 BCNF is stronger than 3NF. TrueFor more information on Normal form
Refer:Database Normalization | Normal Forms Option (B) is correct.
Question 76

CORRECT
The Relation Vendor Order (V_no, V_ord_no, V_name, Qty_sup, unit_price) is in
2NF because:
Non_key attribute V_name is dependent on
 V_no which is part of composite key
Non_key attribute V_name is dependent on
B Qty_sup
Key attribute Qty_sup is dependent on
C primary_key unit price
Key attribute V_ord_no is dependent on
D primary_key unit price
Database Design(Normal Forms)    UGC NET CS 2015 Jun - III    
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Question 76 Explanation: 
The Relation Vendor Order (V_no, V_ord_no, V_name, Qty_sup, unit_price) is in
2NF because: Non_key attribute V_name is dependent on V_no which is part of
composite key. For more information on Normal forms Refer:Database Normalization
| Normal Forms Option (A) is correct.
Question 77

WRONG
BCNF is not used for cases where a relation has
Two (or more) candidate keys

B Two candidate keys and composite

C The candidate key overlap
Two mutually exclusive foreign keys
Database Design(Normal Forms)    ISRO CS 2007    
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Question 77 Explanation: 
A relation is in BCNF if all attributes which are determinants are also candidate keys
in every relation. Transformation into BCNF deals with the problem of overlapping
keys and there is no problem with two or more CK. Option (D) is correct.
Question 78

CORRECT
The best normal form of relation scheme R(A, B, C, D) along with the set of
functional dependencies F = {AB → C, AB → D, C → A, D → B} is

A Boyce-Codd Normal form

Third Normal form

C Second Normal form

D First Normal form
Database Design(Normal Forms)    UGC NET CS 2014 Dec - II    
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Question 78 Explanation: 
Here C-> A (prime attribute -> prime attribute) and D->A (prime attribute -> prime
attribute) is partially dependents FDs . This type of FD must not be in BCNF and
there is no problem with this type of FDs in 3NF. Option (B) is correct.
Question 79

WRONG
Let R = ABCDE is a relational scheme with functional dependency set F = {A → B, B
→ C, AC → D}. The attribute closures of A and E are

A ABCD, φ
ABCD, E
Φ, φ

D ABC, E
Database Design(Normal Forms)    UGC NET CS 2014 Dec - III    
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Question 79 Explanation: 
The attribute closures of A: A+ = ABCD The attribute closures of E: E+ = E. So, option
(B) is correct.
Question 80

CORRECT
Which of the following is false?
Every binary relation is never be in BCNF.

B Every BCNF relation is in 3NF.

1 NF, 2 NF, 3 NF and BCNF are based on
C functional dependencies.
Multivalued Dependency (MVD) is a special
D case of Join Dependency (JD).
Database Design(Normal Forms)    UGC NET CS 2014 Dec - III    
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Question 80 Explanation: 
 Every binary relation is never be in BCNF. This statement is incorrect because
Every binary relation is always in BCNF.
 Every BCNF relation is in 3NF. Correct.
 1 NF, 2 NF, 3 NF and BCNF are based on functional dependencies. Correct.
 Multivalued Dependency (MVD) is a special case of Join Dependency
(JD).Correct.So, option (A) is correct.

Question 81
For a database relation R(a,b,c,d) where the domains of a, b, c and d include only
atomic values, only the following functional dependencies and those that can be
inferred from them hold
a -> c
b -> d
The relation is in
First normal form but not in second normal
A form
Second normal form but not in third normal
B form
C Third normal form
D None of the above
Database Design(Normal Forms)    ISRO CS 2018    
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Question 82
The set of attributes X will be fully functionally dependent on the set of attributes Y if
the following conditions are satisfied.

A X is functionally dependent on Y
 X is not functionally dependent on any subset
B of Y
C Both (a) and (b)
D None of these
Database Design(Normal Forms)    ISRO CS 2018    
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Question 83
Consider the relation R (ABCDE): FD = { A → B, B → C, C → D, D → E} Find out the
highest normal form.

A 1 NF
B 2 NF
C 3 NF
D BCNF
Database Design(Normal Forms)    Practice Quiz for Sudo Placement    
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Question 84
Relations produced from E - R Model will always be in ________.

A 1 NF
B 2 NF
C 3 NF
D 4 NF
Database Design(Normal Forms)    UGC NET CS 2018 July - II    
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Question 85
For a database relation R(a, b, c, d) where the domains of a, b, c and d include only
atomic values, and only the following functional dependencies and those that can be
inferred from them hold : a → c b → d The relation is in _________.
First normal form but not in second normal
A form
 Second normal form but not in third normal
B form
C Third normal form
D BCNF
Database Design(Normal Forms)    UGC NET CS 2018 July - II    
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Question 86
Consider a relational table R that is in 3NF, but not in BCNF. Which one of the
following statements is TRUE ?
R has a nontrivial functional dependency

A X→A, where X is not a superkey and A is a

prime attribute
R has a nontrivial functional dependency

X→A, where X is not a superkey and A is a

B non-prime attribute and X is not a proper
subset of any key
R has a nontrivial functional dependency

X→A, where X is not a superkey and A is a

C non-prime attribute and X is a proper subset
of some key
A cell in R holds a set instead of an atomic
D value
Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE CS 2020    
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Question 87
A relation r(A,B) in a relational database has 1200 tuples. The attribute A has integer
values ranging from 6 to 20, and the attribute B has integer values ranging from 1 to
20. Assume that the attributes A and B are independently distributed. The estimated
number of tuples in the output of σ(A>10)∨(B=18)(r) is ____________.

A 820
B 1200
C 960
D 1000
Database Design(Normal Forms)    Permutation and Combination    GATE CS
2021 | Set 1    
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Question 88
Consider the following statements S1 and S2 about the relational data model:
 S1: A relation scheme can have at most one foreign key.
 S2: A foreign key in a relation scheme R cannot be used to refer to tuples of R.
Which one of the following choices is correct?

A Both S1 and S2 are true

B S1 is true and S2 is false
C S1 is false and S2 is true
D Both S1 and S2 are false
Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE CS 2021 | Set 2    
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Question 89
Suppose the following functional dependencies hold on a relation U with attributes
P,Q,R,S, and T:
P → QR
RS → T
Which of the following functional dependencies can be inferred from the above
functional dependencies?

A PS → T
B R→T
C P→R
D PS → Q
Database Design(Normal Forms)    GATE CS 2021 | Set 2    
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This set of Database Multiple Choice Questions & Answers (MCQs) focuses on “Normal
Forms”.

1. In the __________ normal form, a composite attribute is converted to individual

attributes.
a) First
b) Second
c) Third
d) Fourth
View Answer
Answer: a
Explanation: The first normal form is used to eliminate the duplicate information.
2. A table on the many side of a one to many or many to many relationship must:
a) Be in Second Normal Form (2NF)
b) Be in Third Normal Form (3NF)
c) Have a single attribute key
d) Have a composite key
View Answer
Answer: d
Explanation: The relation in second normal form is also in first normal form and no partial
dependencies on any column in primary key.
3. Tables in second normal form (2NF):
a) Eliminate all hidden dependencies
b) Eliminate the possibility of a insertion anomalies
c) Have a composite key
d) Have all non key fields depend on the whole primary key
View Answer
Answer: a
Explanation: The relation in second normal form is also in first normal form and no partial
dependencies on any column in primary key.
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4. Which-one ofthe following statements about normal forms is FALSE?

a) BCNF is stricter than 3 NF
b) Lossless, dependency -preserving decomposition into 3 NF is always possible
c) Loss less, dependency – preserving decomposition into BCNF is always possible
d) Any relation with two attributes is BCNF
View Answer
Answer: c
Explanation: We say that the decomposition is a lossless decomposition if there is no
loss of information by replacing r (R) with two relation schemas r1(R1) andr2(R2).
5. Functional Dependencies are the types of constraints that are based on______
a) Key
b) Key revisited
c) Superset key
d) None of the mentioned
View Answer
Answer: a
Explanation: Key is the basic element needed for the constraints.
6. Which is a bottom-up approach to database design that design by examining the
relationship between attributes:
a) Functional dependency
b) Database modeling
c) Normalization
d) Decomposition
View Answer
Answer: c
Explanation: Normalisation is the process of removing redundancy and unwanted data.
7. Which forms simplifies and ensures that there are minimal data aggregates and
repetitive groups:
a) 1NF
b) 2NF
c) 3NF
d) All of the mentioned
View Answer
Answer: c
Explanation: The first normal form is used to eliminate the duplicate information.
8. Which forms has a relation that possesses data about an individual entity:
a) 2NF
b) 3NF
c) 4NF
d) 5NF
View Answer
Answer: c
Explanation: A Table is in 4NF if and only if, for every one of its non-trivial multivalued
dependencies X \twoheadrightarrow Y, X is a superkey—that is, X is either a candidate
key or a superset thereof.
9. Which forms are based on the concept of functional dependency:
a) 1NF
b) 2NF
c) 3NF
d) 4NF
View Answer
Answer: c
Explanation: The table is in 3NF if every non-prime attribute of R is non-transitively
dependent (i.e. directly dependent) on every superkey of R.
10.

Empdt1(empcode, name, street, city, state, pincode).

For any pincode, there is only one city and state. Also, for given street, city and state,
there is just one pincode. In normalization terms, empdt1 is a relation in
a) 1 NF only
b) 2 NF and hence also in 1 NF
c) 3NF and hence also in 2NF and 1NF
d) BCNF and hence also in 3NF, 2NF and 1NF
View Answer
Answer: b
Explanation: The relation in second normal form is also in first normal form and no partial
dependencies on any column in primary key.

This set of Database Multiple Choice Questions & Answers (MCQs) focuses on
“Functional-Dependency Theory”.

1. We can use the following three rules to find logically implied functional dependencies.
This collection of rules is called
a) Axioms
b) Armstrong’s axioms
c) Armstrong
d) Closure
View Answer
Answer: b
Explanation: By applying these rules repeatedly, we can find all of F+, given F.
2. Which of the following is not Armstrong’s Axiom?
a) Reflexivity rule
b) Transitivity rule
c) Pseudotransitivity rule
d) Augmentation rule
View Answer
3. The relation employee(ID,name,street,Credit,street,city,salary) is decomposed into

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employee1 (ID, name)
employee2 (name, street, city, salary)

This type of decomposition is called

a) Lossless decomposition
b) Lossless-join decomposition
c) All of the mentioned
d) None of the mentioned
View Answer
Answer: d
Explanation: Lossy-join decomposition is the decomposition used here .
4. Inst_dept (ID, name, salary, dept name, building, budget) is decomposed into

instructor (ID, name, dept name, salary)

department (dept name, building, budget)
This comes under
a) Lossy-join decomposition
b) Lossy decomposition
c) Lossless-join decomposition
d) Both Lossy and Lossy-join decomposition
View Answer
Answer: d
Explanation: Lossy-join decomposition is the decomposition used here .
5. There are two functional dependencies with the same set of attributes on the left side
of the arrow:
A->BC
A->B
This can be combined as
a) A->BC
b) A->B
c) B->C
d) None of the mentioned
View Answer
Answer: a
Explanation: This can be computed as the canonical cover.
6. Consider a relation R(A,B,C,D,E) with the following functional dependencies:

ABC -> DE and

D -> AB

The number of superkeys of R is:

a) 2
b) 7
c) 10
d) 12
View Answer
Answer: c
Explanation: A superkey is a combination of columns that uniquely identifies any row
within a relational database management system (RDBMS) table.
7. Suppose we wish to find the ID’s of the employees that are managed by people who
are managed by the employee with ID 123. Here are two possible queries:

I.SELECT ee.empID
FROM Emps ee, Emps ff
WHERE ee.mgrID = ff.empID AND ff.mgrID = 123;
II.SELECT empID
FROM Emps
WHERE mgrID IN
(SELECT empID FROM Emps WHERE mgrID = 123);

Which, if any, of the two queries above will correctly (in SQL2) get the desired set of
employee ID’s?
a) Both I and II
b) I only
c) II only
d) Neither I nor I
View Answer
Answer: a
Explanation: The query can be satisfied by any of the two options.
8. Suppose relation R(A,B) currently has tuples {(1,2), (1,3), (3,4)} and relation S(B,C)
currently has {(2,5), (4,6), (7,8)}. Then the number of tuples in the result of the SQL
query:

<i>SELECT *
FROM R NATURAL OUTER JOIN S; </i>IS:

a) 2
b) 4
c) 6
d) None of the mentioned
View Answer
Answer: a
Explanation: The SQL NATURAL JOIN is a type of EQUI JOIN and is structured in such
a way that, columns with same name of associate tables will appear once only.
9. Suppose now that R(A,B) and S(A,B) are two relations with r and s tuples,
respectively (again, not necessarily distinct). If m is the number of (not necessarily
distinct) tuples in the result of the SQL query:

R intersect S;

Then which of the following is the most restrictive, correct condition on the value of m?
a) m = min(r,s)
b) 0 <= m <= r + s
c) min(r,s) <= m <= max(r,s)
d) 0 <= m <= min(r,s)
View Answer
Answer: d
Explanation: The value of m must lie between the min value of r and s and 0.
10. Suppose relation R(A,B,C,D,E) has the following functional dependencies:

A -> B
B -> C
BC -> A
A -> D
E -> A
D -> E

Which of the following is not a key?

a) A
b) E
c) B, C
d) D
View Answer
Answer: c
Explanation: Here the keys are not formed by B and C.
his set of Database Multiple Choice Questions & Answers (MCQs) focuses on
“Relational Database and Database Schema”.

1. A relational database consists of a collection of

a) Tables
b) Fields
c) Records
d) Keys
View Answer
Answer: a
Explanation: Fields are the column of the relation or tables. Records are each row in a
relation. Keys are the constraints in a relation.
2. A ________ in a table represents a relationship among a set of values.
a) Column
b) Key
c) Row
d) Entry
View Answer
Answer: c
Explanation: Column has only one set of values. Keys are constraints and row is one
whole set of attributes. Entry is just a piece of data.
3. The term _______ is used to refer to a row.
a) Attribute
b) Tuple
c) Field
d) Instance
View Answer
Answer: b
Explanation: Tuple is one entry of the relation with several attributes which are fields.
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4. The term attribute refers to a ___________ of a table.

a) Record
b) Column
c) Tuple
d) Key
View Answer
Answer: b
Explanation: Attribute is a specific domain in the relation which has entries of all tuples.
5. For each attribute of a relation, there is a set of permitted values, called the ________
of that attribute.
a) Domain
b) Relation
c) Set
d) Schema
View Answer
Answer: a
Explanation: The values of the attribute should be present in the domain. Domain is a
set of values permitted.
6. Database __________ which is the logical design of the database, and the database
_______ which is a snapshot of the data in the database at a given instant in time.
a) Instance, Schema
b) Relation, Schema
c) Relation, Domain
d) Schema, Instance
View Answer
Answer: d
Explanation: Instance is an instance of time and schema is a representation.
7. Course(course_id,sec_id,semester)
Here the course_id,sec_id and semester are __________ and course is a _________
a) Relations, Attribute
b) Attributes, Relation
c) Tuple, Relation
d) Tuple, Attributes
View Answer
Answer: b
Explanation: The relation course has a set of attributes course_id,sec_id,semester .
8. Department (dept name, building, budget) and Employee (employee_id, name, dept
name, salary)
Here the dept_name attribute appears in both the relations. Here using common
attributes in relation schema is one way of relating ___________ relations.
a) Attributes of common
b) Tuple of common
c) Tuple of distinct
d) Attributes of distinct
View Answer
Answer: c
Explanation: Here the relations are connected by the common attributes.
9. A domain is atomic if elements of the domain are considered to be ____________
units.
a) Different
b) Indivisbile
c) Constant
d) Divisible
View Answer
Answer: b
Explanation: None.
10. The tuples of the relations can be of ________ order.
a) Any
b) Same
c) Sorted
d) Constant
View Answer
Answer: a
Explanation: The values only count. The order of the tuples does not matter.

This set of Database Multiple Choice Questions & Answers (MCQs) focuses on “Keys”.

1. Which one of the following is a set of one or more attributes taken collectively to
uniquely identify a record?
a) Candidate key
b) Sub key
c) Super key
d) Foreign key
View Answer
Answer: c
Explanation: Super key is the superset of all the keys in a relation.
2. Consider attributes ID, CITY and NAME. Which one of this can be considered as a
super key?
a) NAME
b) ID
c) CITY
d) CITY, ID
View Answer
Answer: b
Explanation: Here the id is the only attribute which can be taken as a key. Other
attributes are not uniquely identified.
3. The subset of a super key is a candidate key under what condition?
a) No proper subset is a super key
b) All subsets are super keys
c) Subset is a super key
d) Each subset is a super key
View Answer
Answer: a
Explanation: The subset of a set cannot be the same set. Candidate key is a set from a
super key which cannot be the whole of the super set.
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4. A _____ is a property of the entire relation, rather than of the individual tuples in which
each tuple is unique.
a) Rows
b) Key
c) Attribute
d) Fields
View Answer
Answer: b
Explanation: Key is the constraint which specifies uniqueness.
5. Which one of the following attribute can be taken as a primary key?
a) Name
b) Street
c) Id
d) Department
View Answer
Answer: c
Explanation: The attributes name, street and department can repeat for some tuples. But
the id attribute has to be unique. So it forms a primary key.
6. Which one of the following cannot be taken as a primary key?
a) Id
b) Register number
c) Dept_id
d) Street
View Answer
Answer: d
Explanation: Street is the only attribute which can occur more than once.
7. An attribute in a relation is a foreign key if the _______ key from one relation is used
as an attribute in that relation.
a) Candidate
b) Primary
c) Super
d) Sub
View Answer
Answer: b
Explanation: The primary key has to be referred in the other relation to form a foreign
key in that relation.
8. The relation with the attribute which is the primary key is referenced in another
relation. The relation which has the attribute as a primary key is called ______________
a) Referential relation
b) Referencing relation
c) Referenced relation
d) Referred relation
View Answer
Answer: c
Explanation: None.
9. The ______ is the one in which the primary key of one relation is used as a normal
attribute in another relation.
a) Referential relation
b) Referencing relation
c) Referenced relation
d) Referred relation
View Answer
Answer: c
Explanation: None.
10. A _________ integrity constraint requires that the values appearing in specified
attributes of any tuple in the referencing relation also appear in specified attributes of at
least one tuple in the referenced relation.
a) Referential
b) Referencing
c) Specific
d) Primary
View Answer
Answer: a
Explanation: A relation, say r1, may include among its attributes the primary key of
another relation, say r2. This attribute is called a foreign key from r1, referencing r2. The
relation r1 is also called the referencing relation of the foreign key dependency, and r2 is
called the referenced relation of the foreign key.