  Query answering is an important problem in AI, database and knowledge
representation. In this paper, we develop saturation-based Boolean conjunctive
query answering and rewriting procedures for the guarded, the loosely guarded
and the clique-guarded fragments. Our query answering procedure improves
existing resolution-based decision procedures for the guarded and the loosely
guarded fragments and this procedure solves Boolean conjunctive query answering
problems for the guarded, the loosely guarded and the clique-guarded fragments.
Based on this query answering procedure, we also introduce a novel
saturation-based query rewriting procedure for these guarded fragments. Unlike
mainstream query answering and rewriting methods, our procedures derive a
compact and reusable saturation, namely a closure of formulas, to handle the
challenge of querying for distributed datasets. This paper lays the theoretical
foundations for the first automated deduction decision procedures for Boolean
conjunctive query answering and the first saturation-based Boolean conjunctive
query rewriting in the guarded, the loosely guarded and the clique-guarded
fragments.
