hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
FC0-U71 Practice Question: A database designer is modeling a system where…
A database designer is modeling a system where each book can have multiple authors and each author can write multiple books. Which type of relationship should be used between the Book and Author entities?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse a one-to-many relationship with many-to-many, mistakenly thinking that adding multiple author fields to the Book table (violating first normal form) is acceptable, rather than recognizing the need for a junction table.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Many-to-many
The scenario describes a many-to-many relationship because each book can have multiple authors and each author can write multiple books. In relational database design, this is modeled using a junction (or associative) table that contains foreign keys referencing both the Book and Author primary keys, enabling the bidirectional association without data redundancy.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
One-to-one
Why it's wrong here
One-to-one would force each book to have only one author and each author only one book.
- ✗
Hierarchical
Why it's wrong here
Hierarchical is a model used in older systems, not a standard relationship in relational databases.
- ✗
One-to-many
Why it's wrong here
One-to-many would allow one author to many books, but not many authors for one book without repeating author data in the book table.
- ✓
Many-to-many
Why this is correct
Many-to-many allows a book to have multiple authors and an author to have multiple books, typically implemented via a junction table.
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