Which SQL statement removes the table named old_data from the database?

• A. DELETE FROM old_data
• B. REMOVE old_data
• C. DROP TABLE old_data
• D. TRUNCATE TABLE old_data

Answer: (C)

Dropping a table removes the entire object from the database. The statement that does this deletes both the table’s structure and all its data, so the table named old_data ceases to exist and would have to be recreated to use it again.

Other options operate on the data within a table without removing the table itself: deleting from the table removes rows but leaves the table in place; truncating clears the rows as well but keeps the table structure and its metadata. The form that isn’t standard SQL won’t work in typical databases.