Final answer:
In SQL, it is possible to reference the columns in a SELECT query by their numeric position in the ORDER BY clause, although using explicit column names is considered best practice for clarity.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question refers to the use of numeric positions in the ORDER BY clause of an SQL SELECT statement. This is indeed possible. In SQL, you can order the results of your query by the column positions as they appear in your SELECT statement instead of specifying the column names. For example, if your SELECT statement is SELECT first_name, last_name, age FROM users, and you want to order the results by 'last_name' which is the second column, you can use ORDER BY 2 in your query.
It is important to note that best practice suggests using explicit column names in the ORDER BY clause for clarity and to avoid confusion, especially if the SELECT clause is subject to change. Columns are ordered starting with 1, thus ORDER BY 1 would sort the results by 'first_name' in the example given. However, keep in mind that the ability to reference columns by numeric order in the ORDER BY clause may not be supported in all database systems.