Which one of the following statements is NOT correct about the B+ tree data structure used for creating an index of a relational database table? A) B+ Tree is a height-balanced tree B) Non-leaf nodes have pointers to data records C) Key values in each node are kept in sorted order D) Each leaf node has a pointer to the next leaf node

Official answer: B) Non-leaf nodes have pointers to data records. Explanation: - In a B+ tree, data record pointers are stored only in the leaf nodes. Non-leaf (internal) nodes contain only search keys and tree node pointers (to guide the search down the tree). Therefore, statement (B) is NOT correct. - Statement (A) is correct: A B+ tree is always height-balanced (all leaf nodes are at the same depth). - Statement (C) is correct: Keys within every node are maintained in sorted order. - Statement (D) is correct: The leaf nodes are connected via pointers to form a linked list for efficient range queries. Thus, the incorrect statement is (B).

A) B+ Tree is a height-balanced tree

C) Key values in each node are kept in sorted order

D) Each leaf node has a pointer to the next leaf node

File Organization and Indexing

GATE CSE 2019 · Q14

MCQ1 markEasy

Time00:00

Which one of the following statements is NOT correct about the B+ tree data structure used for creating an index of a relational database table?

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Solution

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Official answer: B) Non-leaf nodes have pointers to data records

File Organization and Indexing

In a $\text{B}^+$ tree, data record pointers are stored only in the leaf nodes. Non-leaf (internal) nodes contain only search keys and tree node pointers (to guide the search down the tree). Therefore, statement (B) is NOT correct.
Statement (A) is correct: A $\text{B}^+$ tree is always height-balanced (all leaf nodes are at the same depth).
Statement (C) is correct: Keys within every node are maintained in sorted order.
Statement (D) is correct: The leaf nodes are connected via pointers to form a linked list for efficient range queries.

Thus, the incorrect statement is (B).

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This File Organization and Indexing previous year question is Q14 of the GATE CSE 2019 paper. Find more GATE CSE PYQs on File Organization and Indexing in Databases, or browse all GATE CSE PYQs.

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File Organization and Indexing in GATE CSE

File Organization and Indexing has 17 GATE CSE PYQs across 17 papers from 2011 to 2026. 5 of them are 1-mark MCQs like this one, and it is the only one in GATE CSE 2019.

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