SELECT

SELECT picks which columns you want back. * means "every column"; naming specific columns (comma-separated) returns just those.

Example: selecting specific columns

SELECT name, score FROM students;

name  | score
Ada   | 92
Chidi | 78
Musa  | 85

Naming exact columns instead of always using * matters for a real, practical reason once tables get wide — fetching only what you actually need is faster, uses less memory, and makes it obvious to anyone reading the query exactly what data it depends on.