WorksheetsFundamentals of Database Systems (Midterm Examination)
Total questions: 61
Worksheet time: 30hrs 1mins
Name
Class
Date
1.
Full Name (First Name, Middle Initial, Surname)
4 lines
2.
1. What does DBMS stand for?
a)
Database Managing Software
b)
Database Management System
c)
Data Backup Management Setup
d)
Database Modular System
3.
2. Which of the following best defines “data”?
a)
Organized facts ready for analysis
b)
Raw facts and figures without meaning
c)
Processed information
d)
A database record
4.
3. A collection of related data organized for easy access is called a:
a)
Record
b)
File
c)
Database
d)
Folder
5.
4. A database suddenly fails to store any new entries because the physical disk crashed. Which component of the database system is most directly involved in this issue?
a)
Software
b)
People
c)
Hardware
d)
Procedures
6.
5. A school registrar uses a DBMS to update student grades and print reports quickly. Based on this scenario, what function of the DBMS is being demonstrated?
a)
Simple data storage
b)
Efficient and secure data management
c)
Software replacement
d)
Hardware creation
7.
6. What is the main purpose of an Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD)?
a)
To represent how data flows between users and the internet
b)
To visually model the structure and relationships of data in a database
c)
To perform normalization on database tables
d)
To convert database tables into reports
8.
7. Which of the following best defines an entity in an ER model?
a)
A unique identifier of data
b)
A characteristic or property of an object
c)
An object or concept that can have data stored about it
d)
A relationship between two attributes
9.
8. In an ER diagram, what symbol is commonly used to represent a relationship between entities?
a)
Rectangle
b)
Oval
c)
Diamond
d)
Arrow Line
10.
9. Which attribute uniquely identifies a record in a table?
a)
Composite key
b)
Foreign key
c)
Secondary key
d)
Primary key
11.
10. What is the purpose of a foreign key in a database table?
a)
To create new entities
b)
To link tables and enforce referential integrity
c)
To identify duplicate records
d)
To store unique data only
12.
11. Why is normalization important in database design?
a)
It ensures the database contains redundant data for backup
b)
It improves query performance by duplicating data
c)
It organizes data to reduce redundancy and improve consistency
d)
It combines multiple tables into one large table
13.
12. Which normalization form removes repeating groups in a table?
a)
First Normal Form (1NF)
b)
Second Normal Form (2NF)
c)
Third Normal Form (3NF)
d)
Fourth Normal Form (4NF)
14.
13. A company wants to track its inventory using a database. Which DBMS function would allow it to quickly update stock quantities when items are sold?
a)
Data retrieval
b)
Data storage
c)
Data manipulation
d)
Query optimization
15.
14. If a database designer wants to prevent data redundancy, which approach should they apply?
a)
Use multiple unconnected tables
b)
Apply normalization techniques
c)
Store all data in a single table
d)
Avoid indexing
16.
15. A university needs to store information about students, courses, and grades. Which database architecture component defines the structure of this data?
a)
Instance
b)
Schema
c)
Index
d)
Query
17.
16. A manager runs a report to summarize total sales per product. Which DBMS process is primarily being applied?
a)
Data manipulation
b)
Data processing
c)
Data storage
d)
Indexing
18.
17. Which scenario best illustrates the advantage of using a relational database over flat files?
a)
Data is stored in separate spreadsheets with repeated entries
b)
Multiple tables can be joined to generate meaningful reports
c)
Data is manually updated without software
d)
Files are printed and stored in cabinets
19.
18. How does indexing improve query performance in an RDBMS?
a)
By compressing data for storage
b)
By creating a structured path to locate records faster
c)
By duplicating records in multiple tables
d)
By converting all data into plain text
20.
19. If a customer database is organized in MySQL, which characteristic ensures that each row in the “Customer” table is unique?
a)
Primary key
b)
Foreign key
c)
Index
d)
Schema
21.
20. An HR department wants to find all employees hired after 2020. Which DBMS feature is being applied?
a)
Data normalization
b)
Query execution
c)
Schema definition
d)
Data redundancy
22.
21. Which type of RDBMS relationship allows a single customer to have multiple orders?
a)
One-to-One
b)
One-to-Many
c)
Many-to-Many
d)
Recursive
23.
22. When comparing RDBMS and traditional file systems, which analytical factor is considered an advantage of RDBMS?
a)
Faster manual entry
b)
Structured query language support and data integrity
c)
Hardware simplicity
d)
Data stored in multiple unlinked files
24.
23. A database administrator observes slow query performance. Which analysis should they perform first?
a)
Evaluate indexing and table relationships
b)
Increase disk storage
c)
Rewrite all data manually
d)
Remove primary keys
25.
24. If a sales database maintains separate tables for customers, orders, and products, what analytical process ensures correct linking between them?
a)
Referential integrity enforcement
b)
Index compression
c)
Schema deletion
d)
Redundancy checking
26.
25. A manager wants to analyze the trend of product sales over the past five years. Which RDBMS feature will best support this analysis?
a)
SQL queries with aggregate functions
b)
Normalization
c)
Table indexing
d)
Schema creation
27.
26. You are designing a database for a school system. Which component of the ER diagram would best represent a “Student”?
a)
Attribute
b)
Entity
c)
Relationship
d)
Key
28.
27. A table contains both student names and subjects in the same field. Which database design process can help separate these values properly?
a)
Denormalization
b)
Normalization
c)
Indexing
d)
Encryption
29.
28. If a database table includes multiple student entries with the same ID number, what should be applied to fix the issue?
a)
Assign a primary key to ensure unique identification
b)
Remove all IDs
c)
Add redundant fields
d)
Combine multiple tables
30.
29. A teacher wants to view all subjects taught by a specific instructor. Which relationship type in the ERD represents this scenario?
a)
One-to-One
b)
One-to-Many
c)
Many-to-Many
d)
Recursive
31.
30. Which column in the unnormalized table clearly violates the rule of atomicity in 1NF?
a)
CustomerID
b)
CustomerName
c)
Orders
d)
TotalAmount
32.
31. The Orders column includes multiple product details in a single field. This indicates the presence of:
a)
Data independence
b)
Repeating groups
c)
Referential integrity
d)
Data abstraction
33.
32. What type of problem occurs when a single field contains several items like (P001, Pen, 20, ₱200)?
a)
Redundancy
b)
Non-atomic attribute
c)
Primary key violation
d)
Data loss
34.
33. Which of the following is a redundant entry in the unnormalized data?
a)
ProductID appears multiple times
b)
Maria Santos appears more than once
c)
Order numbers repeat
d)
Prices are not consistent
35.
34. What kind of anomaly might occur if Maria Santos changes her address?
a)
Insertion anomaly
b)
Update anomaly
c)
Deletion anomaly
d)
Structural anomaly
36.
35. In the unnormalized table, which combination of attributes should be separated to satisfy the 1NF rule?
a)
CustomerID and CustomerName
b)
Address and TotalAmount
c)
ProductID, ProductName, Quantity, and Price
d)
CustomerID and TotalAmount
37.
36. What will happen if the Orders column is split into separate attributes for ProductID, ProductName, Quantity, and Price?
a)
The table will now meet 1NF
b)
The table will now meet 2NF
c)
The table will become unstructured
d)
The table will lose data relationships
38.
37. Which dependency can be observed between CustomerName and Address?
a)
Functional dependency
b)
Partial dependency
c)
Transitive dependency
d)
No dependency
39.
38. Why is the Orders column considered a repeating group?
a)
It has multiple customer addresses
b)
It stores multiple sets of product data per record
c)
It lacks a primary key
d)
It contains numeric values only
40.
39. What data redundancy problem might occur if the same customer places multiple orders?
a)
Product duplication
b)
Address duplication
c)
OrderID duplication
d)
Key duplication
41.
40. Which of the following best describes a data anomaly caused by poor normalization?
a)
Data can be easily updated
b)
Data is deleted or repeated unintentionally
c)
Data is always consistent
d)
Data is stored securely
42.
41. If the TotalAmount column depends on the details inside Orders, what normalization issue does this indicate?
a)
Derived attribute redundancy
b)
Foreign key violation
c)
Lack of data type consistency
d)
Primary key misuse
43.
42. After analyzing the unnormalized data, which of the following is the first step toward normalization?
a)
Delete redundant rows
b)
Identify and separate repeating groups into individual rows
c)
Merge all fields into one
d)
Remove all primary keys
44.
43. A company is planning to switch from a flat file system to an RDBMS. Evaluate the main benefits they would gain from this change.
a)
Manual data entry
b)
Improved data integrity, query flexibility, and reduced redundancy
c)
Less hardware requirement
d)
Easier printing of records
45.
44. Compare the use of indexing versus normalization in optimizing database performance. Which situation would prioritize indexing?
a)
Reducing data duplication
b)
Fast retrieval of records from large tables
c)
Defining table structure
d)
Enforcing primary key constraints
46.
45. A database stores sensitive customer information. Recommend which DBMS component or feature is critical to evaluate for data security.
a)
Schema design
b)
Access control and user privileges
c)
Data redundancy
d)
Index creation
47.
46. An organization experiences inconsistent reports due to duplicate data entries. Which combination of RDBMS concepts should be applied to resolve this issue?
a)
Normalization and primary/foreign keys
b)
Indexing and query caching
c)
Hardware upgrade and schema changes
d)
Manual data deletion
48.
47. Critique the use of a relational database for a real-time sensor system. What are the potential advantages and drawbacks?
a)
Advantage: Data integrity; Drawback: Slower write performance for large continuous streams
b)
Advantage: No data redundancy; Drawback: No query support
c)
Advantage: Faster storage; Drawback: Poor visualization
d)
Advantage: Less storage; Drawback: Cannot retrieve data
49.
48. Synthesize a scenario where MySQL’s RDBMS characteristics (ACID compliance, structured queries) would improve decision-making in a company.
a)
Tracking employee attendance manually
b)
Generating accurate monthly sales reports for strategic planning
c)
Filing printed invoices
d)
Storing backup spreadsheets
50.
49. Evaluate why using a relational database is more suitable than a hierarchical database for managing student-course relationships.
a)
Relational databases can easily model many-to-many relationships, whereas hierarchical databases struggle with this.
b)
Hierarchical databases are faster for large data queries
c)
Relational databases require more hardware
d)
Hierarchical databases allow flexible SQL queries
51.
50. Recommend a design strategy to ensure data integrity and minimize redundancy when creating a new company database.
a)
Normalize tables and define proper primary and foreign keys
b)
Store all data in a single large table
c)
Avoid indexing for simplicity
d)
Duplicate records across multiple tables
52.
51. A database design team proposes merging all customer and order information into one table for simplicity. Evaluate this decision.
a)
It violates normalization and causes redundancy
b)
It improves performance
c)
It simplifies indexing
d)
It strengthens relationships
53.
52. When building an ERD, you identify redundant entities. What is the best action to take?
a)
Combine redundant entities into a single logical entity
b)
Keep them separate for flexibility
c)
Remove all relationships
d)
Add more attributes
54.
53. Analyze the following case: A student database shows the same student listed under two IDs. What design problem does this indicate?
a)
Lack of a proper primary key
b)
Overuse of foreign keys
c)
Too many attributes
d)
Normalization to 4NF
55.
54. Compare the use of 2NF and 3NF. Which scenario best requires 3NF?
a)
A table where non-key attributes depend on other non-key attributes
b)
A table with repeating groups
c)
A table with no relationships
d)
A table missing foreign keys
56.
55. A database designer suggests using foreign keys to link customer and orders tables. Evaluate how this design promotes database integrity.
a)
It ensures only existing customers can have orders
b)
It creates redundant data
c)
It increases table complexity
d)
It duplicates records
57.
56. If a company database is normalized up to 3NF but still shows slow query performance, what should be evaluated next?
a)
The use of indexes and query optimization
b)
The addition of redundant data
c)
The removal of foreign keys
d)
The use of paper-based records
58.
57. You are asked to revise a poorly designed ERD with missing relationships. What is the best initial step?
a)
Reassess user requirements and redefine entities and relationships
b)
Delete unnecessary tables
c)
Add random attributes
d)
Create more primary keys
59.
58. Evaluate the following statement: “Normalization always improves database performance.”
a)
False, because too much normalization can slow query performance
b)
True, because normalization eliminates redundancy
c)
False, because normalization removes relationships
d)
True, because normalization adds complexity
60.
59. A developer is debating whether to store “Instructor” and “Course” in one table or two separate ones. Which design decision would you recommend?
a)
Store them separately and link via foreign key for better normalization
b)
Merge them for faster queries
c)
Store all data redundantly
d)
Use attributes instead of tables
61.
60. During database design, a student notices that both Customer and Order entities include customer-related attributes (CustomerID, CustomerName, Address). To simplify data access, the student decides to merge them into one table named CustomerOrder. As an evaluator, what would be the most appropriate recommendation regarding this decision?
a)
Proceed with the merge since it allows faster joins between customer and order data.
b)
Avoid merging; instead, maintain separate entities and establish a one-to-many relationship to preserve data integrity.
c)
Allow merging only if both entities contain identical sets of attributes.
d)
Redesign the model to remove all redundant attributes without considering relationships.
100 %
