Which statement fragment is used to add a new column to an existing table?

• A. ADD COLUMN
• B. ADD
• C. INSERT COLUMN
• D. APPEND COLUMN

Answer: (A)

When you want to extend a table's structure, you use an ALTER TABLE statement. The part that brings in a new column is ADD COLUMN, followed by the column name and its data type. This exact fragment is what you’ll see in standard syntax: ALTER TABLE table_name ADD COLUMN column_name data_type. For example, ALTER TABLE employees ADD COLUMN birthdate DATE;. Some dialects let you write ADD without COLUMN, but ADD COLUMN clearly signals that you’re introducing a new column. The phrases INSERT COLUMN and APPEND COLUMN aren’t valid SQL for modifying a table’s schema.