2 Marks Questions (Short Answer Type)

Sr.
Question Answer
No.

A database is an organized collection of structured data that can be

1 What is a Database? easily accessed, managed, and updated. Example: Student database
storing Roll No, Name, and Marks.

DBMS (Database Management System) is software that manages and

2 Define DBMS.
controls access to databases, ensuring data integrity and security.

Mention two functions (1) Provides data security and backup, (2) Enables CRUD operations
3
of DBMS. (Create, Read, Update, Delete).

A data model defines the logical structure of data and relationships

4 What is a Data Model?
between data elements.

What is a Schema and Schema defines the database structure (blueprint), while Instance is
5
Instance in DBMS? the data present in the database at a given time.

Define Entity and Entity – A real-world object (e.g., Student). Attribute – Property of an
6
Attribute. entity (e.g., Roll_No, Name).

What is Cardinality in ER It defines the number of entity instances participating in a

7
Diagram? relationship (1:1, 1:N, M:N).

A Primary Key uniquely identifies each record in a table. Example:

8 Define Primary Key.
Roll_No in Student table.

A Foreign Key is a field in one table that refers to the Primary Key of
9 What is a Foreign Key?
another table, linking both tables.

Normalization is a process of organizing data to minimize redundancy

10 What is Normalization?
and improve data integrity.

A table is in 1NF if it contains only atomic (indivisible) values and no

11 Define 1NF.
repeating groups.

What are DDL DDL (Data Definition Language) commands define database structure
12
commands? — CREATE, ALTER, DROP.

What is an Aggregate A function that performs a calculation on multiple values and returns
13
Function in SQL? a single result (e.g., SUM, AVG).

A Join combines data from two or more tables based on a related

14 What is a Join in SQL?
column.

What is Data The ability to modify schema at one level without affecting the next
15
Independence? higher level. Types: Logical & Physical.

5 Marks Questions (Short Descriptive)

Sr.
Question Model Answer
No.

1. Hierarchical Model – Data stored in tree structure

(parent-child). Example: XML.
2. Network Model – Complex graph structure, many-
Explain different Data Models in DBMS to-many relationships. Example: IBM IMS.
1
with examples. 3. Relational Model – Data stored in tables. Example:
MySQL.
4. Object-Oriented Model – Uses objects and classes.
Example: ObjectDB.

1. External Level – User’s view of data.

2. Conceptual Level – Logical structure of database
What are the three levels of (schema).
2
architecture in DBMS? 3. Internal Level – Physical storage structure.
➤ This 3-level architecture ensures data abstraction
and independence.

1️⃣ One-to-One: Each student has one ID card.

2️⃣ One-to-Many: One teacher teaches many students.
Explain different types of relationships
3
in an ER diagram with examples.
3️⃣ Many-to-Many: Many students enroll in many
courses.

1. Information Rule – Data stored in tables.

2. Guaranteed Access Rule – Each item accessed by
What are Codd’s Rules? Explain any
4 table name + column + key.
three.
3. Systematic Treatment of Nulls – Nulls handled
uniformly.

1NF: Atomic values only.

2NF: No partial dependency on composite key.
Explain 1NF, 2NF, and 3NF with
5 3NF: No transitive dependency.
examples.
Example: Move Dept_Name, HOD_Name to new table
Department(Dept_Name, HOD_Name).

1️⃣ Reduces redundancy.

What are the advantages of 2️⃣ Improves data consistency.
6
Normalization? 3️⃣ Ensures data integrity.
4️⃣ Easier data maintenance.

DDL: Defines structure (CREATE, ALTER).

DML: Manipulates data (INSERT, UPDATE).
7 Differentiate between DDL and DML.
Example: CREATE TABLE Student; INSERT INTO Student
VALUES (1,'John');

8 Explain Referential Integrity with Ensures foreign key values match primary key values in
example. another table.
Example:
Sr.
Question Model Answer
No.

Student(Roll_No PK)
Enrolls(Roll_No FK REFERENCES Student(Roll_No))

SUM() – Total marks

Explain Aggregate Functions in SQL AVG() – Average marks
9
with examples. COUNT() – No. of students
Example: SELECT AVG(Marks) FROM Student;

INNER JOIN – Common records

LEFT JOIN – All from left, matched from right
Explain types of Joins in SQL with RIGHT JOIN – All from right, matched from left
10
example query. Example:
SELECT [Link], C.Course_Name FROM Student S JOIN
Course C ON S.Course_ID=C.Course_ID;

10 Marks Questions (Long / Analytical)

Sr.
Question Model Answer
No.

DBMS follows a 3-tier architecture:

1. External Level: Individual user views (e.g., Student view,
Admin view).
2. Conceptual Level: Logical structure – describes entities,
Explain DBMS Architecture in
1 attributes, and relationships.
detail with a neat diagram.
3. Internal Level: Physical storage of data (indexes, file
organization).
➤ Benefits: Data abstraction, data independence, multiple user
views.

Entities: Student, Course, Faculty, Department.

Relationships: Student–Enrolls–Course, Faculty–Teaches–
Course, Department–Has–Faculty.
Draw and explain an ER
Cardinalities: Student–Course (M:N), Faculty–Course (1:N).
2 Diagram for a College
Attributes: Student(Roll_No, Name, Address),
Management System.
Course(Course_ID, Title).
➤ ER Diagram should show all entities, attributes, and
connecting relationships.

3 Explain the steps to convert 1️⃣ Convert each Entity → Table.

an ER diagram to relational 2️⃣ Convert Attributes → Columns.
schema with example. 3️⃣ Represent Primary Key for each table.
4️⃣ Convert Relationships → Foreign Keys or separate tables.
Example:
Student(Roll_No PK, Name)
Course(Course_ID PK, Title)
Sr.
Question Model Answer
No.

Enrolls(Roll_No FK, Course_ID FK).

Normalization: Process of structuring data to remove

redundancy and dependency.
Explain the concept of
1NF: Eliminate repeating groups (atomic data).
Normalization in DBMS.
4 2NF: Eliminate partial dependency.
Describe 1NF, 2NF, and 3NF
3NF: Eliminate transitive dependency.
with examples.
Example progression shown with Student table splitting into
multiple normalized tables.

1. DDL: Defines database structure. Example: CREATE TABLE

Employee(...).
Write and explain different
2. DML: Manipulates data. Example: INSERT, UPDATE.
5 categories of SQL commands
3. DQL: Queries data. Example: SELECT * FROM Employee.
with examples.
4. DCL: Manages privileges. Example: GRANT, REVOKE.
5. TCL: Controls transactions. Example: COMMIT, ROLLBACK.

Joins: Combine data from multiple tables.

Example:
Explain SQL Joins and SELECT [Link], E.Course_ID FROM Student S JOIN Enrolls E ON
6 Aggregate Functions with S.Roll_No=E.Roll_No;
syntax and examples. Aggregate Functions:
SUM(), AVG(), COUNT(), MIN(), MAX() used to calculate
summary statistics.

Advantages: Data sharing, security, data consistency, reduced

Discuss advantages and
redundancy, backup & recovery.
7 disadvantages of DBMS over
Disadvantages: Costly setup, complex management, requires
traditional file system.
expertise.

Generalization: Combining entities (e.g., Car & Truck → Vehicle).

Explain Generalization,
Specialization: Dividing entity (e.g., Employee → Manager,
8 Specialization, and
Engineer).
Aggregation with examples.
Aggregation: Treating relationship as entity (e.g., Works_On
between Employee & Project → Assigned).

Codd proposed 12 rules defining true relational DBMS. Key rules

Write short notes on Codd’s
include Information Rule, Access Rule, Null Treatment, Integrity
9 12 Rules and their
Independence, and Data Manipulation Rule. Ensures
significance.
standardization and consistency in relational systems.

Steps: (1) Requirement Analysis, (2) Conceptual Design (ER

Explain Database Design Model), (3) Logical Design (Schema), (4) Physical Design
10 Process with steps and (storage), (5) Implementation.
example. Example: Designing Student–Course–Faculty database using ER
→ Schema → SQL implementation.
✅ Exam Tip:
For 2 marks → Definitions & examples.
For 5 marks → Short explanations with 2–3 examples or diagrams.
For 10 marks → Full-length answers with diagrams, SQL examples, and comparative points.