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Databases PYQs for GATE CS

GATE CS Databases: 1 units and 5 chapters, weightage from 48 previous year questions across 10 papers, a study order by exam weight and 0 practice questions.

A question from this chapter

Question 1

2026 Slot Set2 PYQ

In the context of DBMS, consider the two sets T and S given below. T S I: Logical schema L: Views II: Physical schema M: File organization and indexes III: External schema N: Relations Which one of the following is the correct match from T to S ?

Question 2

2026 Slot Set1 PYQ

Consider a relational database schema with two relations R (P, Q) and S (X, Y) . Let E = {⟨ u ⟩ ∣ \exists v \exists w ⟨ u, v ⟩ \in R \land ⟨ v, w ⟩ \in S} be a tuple relational calculus expression. Which one of the following relational algebraic expressions is equivalent to E ?

Question 3

2026 Slot Set2 PYQ

In the context of schema normalization in relational DBMS, consider a set F of functional dependencies. The set of all functional dependencies implied by F is called the closure of F. To compute the closure of F, Armstrong’s Axioms can be applied. Consider X, Y, and Z as sets of attributes over a relational schema. The three rules of Armstrong’s Axioms are described as follows. Reflexivity: If Y \subseteq X, then X \to Y Augmentation: If X \to Y, then X Z \to Y Z for any Z Transitivity: If X \to Y and Y \to Z, then X \to Z The additional rule of Union is defined as follows. Union: If X \to Y and X \to Z, then X \to Y Z It can be proved that the additional rule of Union is also implied by the three rules of Armstrong’s Axioms. Listed below are four combinations of these three rules. Which one of these combinations is both necessary and sufficient for the proof ?

Question 4

2026 Slot Set2 PYQ

An index in a DBMS is said to be dense if an index entry appears for every search-key value in the indexed file. Otherwise it is called a sparse index. Consider the following two statements. S1: A hash index must be a dense index S2: A B^{+} tree index can be a sparse index Which one of the following options is correct?

Question 5

2026 Slot Set2 PYQ

Consider concurrent execution of two transactions T_{1} and T_{2} in a DBMS, both of which access a data object A . For these two transactions to not conflict on A, which one of the following statements must be true?

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Databases PYQs for GATE CS

GATE CS Databases: 1 units and 5 chapters, weightage from 48 previous year questions across 10 papers, a study order by exam weight and 0 practice questions.

About Databases Previous Year Questions (PYQs)

48 previous year questions from Databases in GATE CS, grouped by chapter with the exam year, answer key and step-by-step solution for each.

GATE CS Databases Unit-wise Weightage from Past Papers

We counted every GATE CS Databases previous year question in our bank (48 questions from 10 papers) and grouped them by unit.

Unit	Chapters	PYQs	Share of section	Avg per paper
Databases	5	48	100%	4.8

Suggested Databases Study Order for GATE CS

Databases: 100% of past Databases questions, about 4.8 per paper.

Start where the marks are. Units at the top of this list have appeared most often in past GATE CS papers.

Units in GATE CS Databases

Databases Previous Year Questions (PYQs) (5 chapters)

All Databases chapters

One Solved Question from Each Databases Chapter

Question 1 · Relational Model, ER Design and Schema Architecture · 2026_Set2 MCQ

In the context of DBMS, consider the two sets T and S given below.

T	S
I: Logical schema	L: Views
II: Physical schema	M: File organization and indexes
III: External schema	N: Relations

Which one of the following is the correct match from T to S ?

A.
I – L, II – M, III – N
B.
I – M, II – L, III – N
C.
I – N, II – M, III – L
D.
I – N, II – L, III – M

Question 2 · Relational Algebra, Tuple Calculus and SQL · 2026_Set1 MCQ

Consider a relational database schema with two relations

R (P, Q)

and

S (X, Y)

.

Let

E = {⟨ u ⟩ ∣ \exists v \exists w ⟨ u, v ⟩ \in R \land ⟨ v, w ⟩ \in S}

be a tuple relational calculus expression.

Which one of the following relational algebraic expressions is equivalent to

E

A.
$Π_{P} (R ⋈_{R . P = S . X} S)$
B.
$Π_{P} (S ⋈_{S . X = R . Q} R)$
C.
$Π_{P} (R ⋈_{R . P = S . Y} S)$
D.
$Π_{P} (S ⋈_{S . Y = R . Q} R)$

Question 3 · Functional Dependencies, Keys and Normalization · 2026_Set2 MCQ

In the context of schema normalization in relational DBMS, consider a set F of functional dependencies. The set of all functional dependencies implied by F is called the closure of F. To compute the closure of F, Armstrong’s Axioms can be applied. Consider

X

Y

, and

Z

as sets of attributes over a relational schema. The three rules of Armstrong’s Axioms are described as follows.

Reflexivity: If

Y \subseteq X

, then

X \to Y

Augmentation: If

X \to Y

, then

X Z \to Y Z

for any Z
Transitivity: If

X \to Y

and

Y \to Z

, then

X \to Z

The additional rule of Union is defined as follows.

Union: If

X \to Y

and

X \to Z

, then

X \to Y Z

It can be proved that the additional rule of Union is also implied by the three rules of Armstrong’s Axioms. Listed below are four combinations of these three rules. Which one of these combinations is both necessary and sufficient for the proof ?

A.
Reflexivity, Augmentation, and Transitivity
B.
Reflexivity and Augmentation
C.
Transitivity
D.
Augmentation and Transitivity

Question 4 · File Organization, Indexing and B+ Trees · 2026_Set2 MCQ

An index in a DBMS is said to be dense if an index entry appears for every search-key value in the indexed file. Otherwise it is called a sparse index. Consider the following two statements.

S1: A hash index must be a dense index
S2: A

B^{+}

tree index can be a sparse index

Which one of the following options is correct?

A.
Both S1 and S2 are true
B.
Both S1 and S2 are false
C.
S1 is true and S2 is false
D.
S1 is false and S2 is true

Question 5 · Transactions, Concurrency Control and Recovery · 2026_Set2 MCQ

Consider concurrent execution of two transactions $T_{1}$ and $T_{2}$ in a DBMS, both of which access a data object $A$ . For these two transactions to not conflict on $A$ , which one of the following statements must be true?

A.
Both $T_{1}$ and $T_{2}$ only read $A$
B.
$T_{1}$ reads $A$ and $T_{2}$ writes $A$
C.
$T_{1}$ writes $A$ and $T_{2}$ reads $A$
D.
Both $T_{1}$ and $T_{2}$ write $A$