WGU C170 Data Management
Applications Final Exam|||questions
and answers with rationales/graded
A+/2026 update/100% correct
/instant download
Latest 2026 Edition | 80+ Questions with Rationales
Instructions: Select the best answer for each question. Correct answers
are highlighted in bold.
Section 1: Database Fundamentals & Normalization (1–15)
1. Which normal form requires that there are no partial dependencies (i.e., no
column depends on only part of a composite primary key)?
A. 1NF
B. 2NF
C. 3NF
D. BCNF
Rationale: 2NF eliminates partial dependencies. 1NF eliminates repeating groups,
3NF eliminates transitive dependencies.
2. A table has columns: StudentID (PK), CourseID (PK), InstructorName,
InstructorOffice. InstructorName depends only on CourseID, not the full composite
key. Which normal form violation is this?
A. Partial dependency
B. Transitive dependency
C. Repeating group
D. Multivalued dependency
,Rationale: Since InstructorName depends on CourseID (part of key), this violates
2NF (partial dependency).
3. Which of the following is a requirement for 1NF?
A. No composite keys
B. No repeating groups or arrays
C. No foreign keys
D. All attributes must be atomic
Rationale: 1NF requires atomic values and no repeating groups (e.g., multiple
phone numbers in one column).
4. A table has: OrderID → CustomerID, CustomerName. CustomerName depends
on CustomerID, not OrderID. This is a _____ dependency.
A. Partial
B. Transitive
C. Full
D. Join
Rationale: Transitive dependency: OrderID → CustomerID → CustomerName.
Violates 3NF.
5. Which normal form is considered sufficient for most business databases and
eliminates transitive dependencies?
A. 1NF
B. 2NF
C. 3NF
D. 4NF
Rationale: 3NF removes transitive dependencies and is the standard for most
OLTP databases.
6. Given a table: EmployeeID (PK), ProjectID (PK), Hours, ProjectManager.
ProjectManager depends only on ProjectID. To normalize to 2NF, you should:
A. Remove Hours
B. Create a separate Projects table
C. Change primary key to EmployeeID only
D. Add a surrogate key
Rationale: Remove the partial dependency by moving ProjectID and
ProjectManager to a new Projects table.
, 7. What is a surrogate key?
A. A key made of multiple columns
B. A key derived from business data
C. An artificial unique identifier, often an auto-increment integer
D. A foreign key in another table
Rationale: Surrogate keys are system-generated (e.g., Identity, UUID) and have no
business meaning.
8. A table has Phone1, Phone2, Phone3 columns. This violates:
A. 2NF
B. 3NF
C. 1NF
D. BCNF
Rationale: Repeating groups (Phone1, Phone2, Phone3) violate 1NF. Should be
separate rows.
9. Which form ensures every determinant is a candidate key?
A. 3NF
B. BCNF (Boyce-Codd Normal Form)
C. 2NF
D. 4NF
Rationale: BCNF is a stricter version of 3NF where every determinant must be a
candidate key.
10. A table has StudentID, Major, MajorAdvisor. MajorAdvisor depends on Major.
This is in 2NF but not 3NF because:
A. Partial dependency exists
B. Transitive dependency exists
C. Repeating groups exist
D. No primary key defined
Rationale: StudentID → Major → MajorAdvisor. Transitive dependency violates
3NF.
11. Denormalization is used to:
A. Increase data redundancy for data integrity
B. Improve query performance by reducing joins
Applications Final Exam|||questions
and answers with rationales/graded
A+/2026 update/100% correct
/instant download
Latest 2026 Edition | 80+ Questions with Rationales
Instructions: Select the best answer for each question. Correct answers
are highlighted in bold.
Section 1: Database Fundamentals & Normalization (1–15)
1. Which normal form requires that there are no partial dependencies (i.e., no
column depends on only part of a composite primary key)?
A. 1NF
B. 2NF
C. 3NF
D. BCNF
Rationale: 2NF eliminates partial dependencies. 1NF eliminates repeating groups,
3NF eliminates transitive dependencies.
2. A table has columns: StudentID (PK), CourseID (PK), InstructorName,
InstructorOffice. InstructorName depends only on CourseID, not the full composite
key. Which normal form violation is this?
A. Partial dependency
B. Transitive dependency
C. Repeating group
D. Multivalued dependency
,Rationale: Since InstructorName depends on CourseID (part of key), this violates
2NF (partial dependency).
3. Which of the following is a requirement for 1NF?
A. No composite keys
B. No repeating groups or arrays
C. No foreign keys
D. All attributes must be atomic
Rationale: 1NF requires atomic values and no repeating groups (e.g., multiple
phone numbers in one column).
4. A table has: OrderID → CustomerID, CustomerName. CustomerName depends
on CustomerID, not OrderID. This is a _____ dependency.
A. Partial
B. Transitive
C. Full
D. Join
Rationale: Transitive dependency: OrderID → CustomerID → CustomerName.
Violates 3NF.
5. Which normal form is considered sufficient for most business databases and
eliminates transitive dependencies?
A. 1NF
B. 2NF
C. 3NF
D. 4NF
Rationale: 3NF removes transitive dependencies and is the standard for most
OLTP databases.
6. Given a table: EmployeeID (PK), ProjectID (PK), Hours, ProjectManager.
ProjectManager depends only on ProjectID. To normalize to 2NF, you should:
A. Remove Hours
B. Create a separate Projects table
C. Change primary key to EmployeeID only
D. Add a surrogate key
Rationale: Remove the partial dependency by moving ProjectID and
ProjectManager to a new Projects table.
, 7. What is a surrogate key?
A. A key made of multiple columns
B. A key derived from business data
C. An artificial unique identifier, often an auto-increment integer
D. A foreign key in another table
Rationale: Surrogate keys are system-generated (e.g., Identity, UUID) and have no
business meaning.
8. A table has Phone1, Phone2, Phone3 columns. This violates:
A. 2NF
B. 3NF
C. 1NF
D. BCNF
Rationale: Repeating groups (Phone1, Phone2, Phone3) violate 1NF. Should be
separate rows.
9. Which form ensures every determinant is a candidate key?
A. 3NF
B. BCNF (Boyce-Codd Normal Form)
C. 2NF
D. 4NF
Rationale: BCNF is a stricter version of 3NF where every determinant must be a
candidate key.
10. A table has StudentID, Major, MajorAdvisor. MajorAdvisor depends on Major.
This is in 2NF but not 3NF because:
A. Partial dependency exists
B. Transitive dependency exists
C. Repeating groups exist
D. No primary key defined
Rationale: StudentID → Major → MajorAdvisor. Transitive dependency violates
3NF.
11. Denormalization is used to:
A. Increase data redundancy for data integrity
B. Improve query performance by reducing joins
