In the context of owner and weak entity sets in the ER (Entity-Relationship) data model, which one of the following statements is TRUE? A) The weak entity set MUST have total participation in the identifying relationship B) The owner entity set MUST have total participation in the identifying relationship C) Both weak and owner entity sets MUST have total participation in the identifying relationship D) Neither weak entity set nor owner entity set MUST have total participation in the identifying relationship

Official answer: A) The weak entity set MUST have total participation in the identifying relationship. Explanation: In an Entity-Relationship (ER) model: - A weak entity set is an entity set that does not possess sufficient attributes to form a primary key on its own. It relies on an identifying (owner) entity set for identification. - Each weak entity must be associated with an owner entity to be uniquely identified. Consequently, the weak entity set MUST have total participation (existence dependency) in the identifying relationship set. - The owner entity set, however, can contain entities that do not associate with any weak entity, meaning its participation in the identifying relationship is typically partial. Hence, statement (A) is TRUE.

A) The weak entity set MUST have total participation in the identifying relationship

B) The owner entity set MUST have total participation in the identifying relationship

C) Both weak and owner entity sets MUST have total participation in the identifying relationship

D) Neither weak entity set nor owner entity set MUST have total participation in the identifying relationship

Databases · ER Model

Official IIT answer key · IISc Bangalore · Audited Aug 2026

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GATE CSE 2024 Set 2 Q20 · MCQ · 1 mark

In the context of owner and weak entity sets in the ER (Entity-Relationship) data model, which one of the following statements is TRUE?

Select an option to check

Key concept

ER Model

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How GATE tests ER Model

GATE tests the ER-model and conceptual design across foundational definitions, standard notation mapping, ER-to-relational schema conversion, and weak entity constraints. Questions range from conceptual 1-mark MCQs verifying properties of entities/relationships and DBMS schema architectures to 2-mark NATs calculating the minimum number of relational tables needed in 3NF. The focus is on precision regarding atomicity, participation constraints, and table reduction rules.

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Independent practice explanation verified by the GateAI team. GATE is conducted by the IITs; question text follows the official paper.

Databases · ER Model

Official IIT answer key · IISc Bangalore · Audited Aug 2026

Take topic test

GATE CSE 2024 Set 2 Q20 · MCQ · 1 mark

In the context of owner and weak entity sets in the ER (Entity-Relationship) data model, which one of the following statements is TRUE?

Select an option to check

Key concept

ER Model

Step-by-step verified solution

Examiner trap & misconception

Topic notes

How GATE tests ER Model

Full ER Model guide →

More on ER Model

All 8 questions on ER Model →

Independent practice explanation verified by the GateAI team. GATE is conducted by the IITs; question text follows the official paper.

In the context of owner and weak entity sets in the ER (Entity-Relationship) data model, which one of the following statements is TRUE?

Step-by-step verified solution

Check you can still solve ER Model under a clock

More from GATE CSE 2024 Set 2

More on ER Model

In the context of owner and weak entity sets in the ER (Entity-Relationship) data model, which one of the following statements is TRUE?

Step-by-step verified solution

Check you can still solve ER Model under a clock

More from GATE CSE 2024 Set 2

More on ER Model

In the context of owner and weak entity sets in the ER (Entity-Relationship) data model, which one of the following statements is TRUE?

Step-by-step verified solution

Check you can still solve ER Model under a clock

More from GATE CSE 2024 Set 2

More on ER Model

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In the context of owner and weak entity sets in the ER (Entity-Relationship) data model, which one of the following statements is TRUE?

Step-by-step verified solution

Check you can still solve ER Model under a clock

More from GATE CSE 2024 Set 2

More on ER Model

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