SQL ORDER BY
Name:
Date:
Class:
A
Quick Questions
Shade in the A or B circle for each question.
1. Which query lists students from the youngest age to the oldest age?
2. True or false: if you write ORDER BY score with no ASC or DESC, the rows are sorted from highest to lowest.
3. Which query shows the top scores first in a games table?
4. A table is sorted with ORDER BY name. Which order do the names appear in?
5. Which query has the correct syntax for sorting the results of a filtered search?
B
Match the Pairs
Draw a line connecting each item on the left to its match on the right.
| Left column | Right column | |
|---|---|---|
| 1SELECT name, score FROM Students ORDER BY score DESC; | ALists student names from A to Z | |
| 2SELECT name FROM Students ORDER BY name; | BSELECT * FROM Students WHERE year = 10 ORDER BY age DESC; | |
| 3Sort the results by price from the lowest to the highest, using ASC to say so clearly | CSELECT * FROM Games ORDER BY price ASC; | |
| 4Show only Year 10 students, then sort those rows by age from oldest to youngest | DDESC goes after the field name, not before it. Fix: ORDER BY score DESC; | |
| 5SELECT * FROM Students ORDER BY WHERE year = 10; | EWHERE must come before ORDER BY, and ORDER BY needs a field name. Fix: WHERE year = 10 ORDER BY name; | |
| 6SELECT name FROM Students ORDER BY DESC score; | FLists students from the highest score to the lowest score |
C
Definitions
ORDER BY
D
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each line of code by filling in the missing parts.
1.
SELECT name, score FROM students
________ score;
2.
SELECT name, score FROM students
ORDER BY score ____;
3.
SELECT name FROM students
ORDER BY ____;
4.
SELECT name, score FROM students
_____ year = 10
ORDER BY score DESC;
5.
SELECT name, score FROM students
WHERE year = 9
ORDER BY score ___;
E
Spot the Error
Shade in the letter of the line that contains an error.
Question 1
A
SELECT name, score
B
FROM students
C
WHERE year = 10
D
ORDER BY DESC score;
Question 2
A
SELECT name FROM pets
B
ORDER name ASC;
C
SELECT name FROM pets
D
ORDER BY name DESC;
Question 3
A
SELECT title, price FROM books
B
WHERE price < 20;
C
ORDER BY price DESC;
Question 4
A
SELECT name, points
B
FROM teams
C
ORDER BY points DOWN;
Question 5
A
SELECT name, city
B
FROM customers
C
WHERE city = 'Perth'
D
SORT BY name;
Answer Key
SQL ORDER BY
Section A: Quick Questions
Q1
A — SELECT * FROM students ORDER BY age ASC;
Q2
A — False
Q3
A — SELECT * FROM games ORDER BY score DESC;
Q4
B — Alex, Bella, Chen, Zara
Q5
B — SELECT * FROM pets WHERE age > 2 ORDER BY name;
Section B: Match the Pairs
Q1
SELECT name, score FROM Students ORDER BY score DESC; → Lists students from the highest score to the lowest score
Q2
SELECT name FROM Students ORDER BY name; → Lists student names from A to Z
Q3
Sort the results by price from the lowest to the highest, using ASC to say so clearly → SELECT * FROM Games ORDER BY price ASC;
Q4
Show only Year 10 students, then sort those rows by age from oldest to youngest → SELECT * FROM Students WHERE year = 10 ORDER BY age DESC;
Q5
SELECT * FROM Students ORDER BY WHERE year = 10; → WHERE must come before ORDER BY, and ORDER BY needs a field name. Fix: WHERE year = 10 ORDER BY name;
Q6
SELECT name FROM Students ORDER BY DESC score; → DESC goes after the field name, not before it. Fix: ORDER BY score DESC;
Section C: Definitions
Q1
ORDER BY — Sorts the rows a SELECT query returns by a chosen field. It sorts A to Z or lowest to highest by default (ASC), or the reverse if you add DESC after the field name.Section D: Fill in the Blanks
Q1
SELECT name, score FROM students
ORDER BY score;Q2
SELECT name, score FROM students
ORDER BY score DESC;Q3
SELECT name FROM students
ORDER BY name;Q4
SELECT name, score FROM students
WHERE year = 10
ORDER BY score DESC;Q5
SELECT name, score FROM students
WHERE year = 9
ORDER BY score ASC;Section E: Spot the Error
Q1
D — DESC must come after the field name, not before it. It should be ORDER BY score DESC; so the highest scores come first.
Q2
B — The keyword is ORDER BY, not just ORDER. The line should be ORDER BY name ASC; to sort the names from A to Z.
Q3
B — The semicolon ends the query too early, so the ORDER BY line is cut off from it. Remove the semicolon so it reads WHERE price < 20 and the semicolon goes at the end of the ORDER BY line.
Q4
C — SQL does not have a DOWN keyword. To sort from highest to lowest, use DESC: ORDER BY points DESC;
Q5
D — SQL uses ORDER BY to sort results, not SORT BY. It should be ORDER BY name; which sorts the names from A to Z.