Which statement describes a benefit of explicitly listing column names in the SELECT clause rather than using SELECT *?

Which statement describes a benefit of explicitly listing column names in the SELECT clause rather than using SELECT *?

• A. It prevents the parser from snapshotting fields.
• B. It ensures you fetch only the specified columns and reduces drift when fields are added later.
• C. It automatically includes newly added fields.
• D. It eliminates the need for a WHERE clause.

Answer: (C)

Listing column names in the SELECT clause gives you control over exactly which data is returned. This makes queries more stable as the table schema evolves: if new columns are added later, they won’t suddenly appear in your results unless you update the query. It also improves performance by pulling only the needed columns, reducing data transfer and memory usage. The idea that new fields would be included automatically isn’t correct—to get new fields you’d have to modify the query to include them. The other statements don’t reflect the actual impact of listing specific columns.

Listing column names in the SELECT clause gives you control over exactly which data is returned. This makes queries more stable as the table schema evolves: if new columns are added later, they won’t suddenly appear in your results unless you update the query. It also improves performance by pulling only the needed columns, reducing data transfer and memory usage. The idea that new fields would be included automatically isn’t correct—to get new fields you’d have to modify the query to include them. The other statements don’t reflect the actual impact of listing specific columns.