Which ranking behavior is associated with the RANK() function when there are ties?

• A. Gaps appear in the ranking numbers
• B. The ranking numbers will be consecutive without gaps
• C. All tied rows receive the same rank, and the next rank is incremented by the number of ties
• D. The ranking returns only unique values

Answer: (A)

The main idea tested is how RANK handles ties, which creates gaps in the ranking sequence. When two rows tie for a rank, they both get the same number, and the next distinct value jumps by the number of ties, producing a gap. For example, values ordered as 100, 95, 95, 90 would yield ranks 1, 2, 2, 4. That missing 3 shows the characteristic gap produced by RANK. While tied rows do share the same rank, the key observable effect asked about is the presence of those gaps. If you used a different function like dense_rank, you’d see consecutive ranks without gaps (1, 2, 2, 3). The function in question doesn’t return only unique values; it repeats the tied rank and leaves gaps.