GATE CS 2019 Set 1 — Question 24

MCQ+1 / -0.33EasyB+ Tree OperationsIndexing & File OrganizationDatabasesB & B+ TreesTreesProgramming & Data Structures

Databases → Indexing & File Organization → B & B+ Trees

Last updated 5 September 2026

Question

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?

Correct answer (B) Non-leaf nodes have pointers to data records Solution In a B+ tree: 1. It is a height-balanced tree (Statement A is correct). 2. Internal (non-leaf) nodes store only keys and pointers to child nodes, NOT pointers to actual data records. Data pointers are stored only in leaf nodes (Statement B is incorrect). 3. Keys in nodes are sorted (Statement C is correct). 4. Leaf nodes are linked to form a sequence set for efficient range queries (Statement D is correct). Turn this into a strength. Explore AI-powered practice and doubt support with Success Tracker.

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Correct answer (B) Non-leaf nodes have pointers to data records Solution In a B+ tree: 1. It is a height-balanced tree (Statement A is correct). 2. Internal (non-leaf) nodes store only keys and pointers to child nodes, NOT pointers to actual data records. Data pointers are stored only in leaf nodes (Statement B is incorrect). 3. Keys in nodes are sorted (Statement C is correct). 4. Leaf nodes are linked to form a sequence set for efficient range queries (Statement D is correct).

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