hardMultiple Choice
FC0-U71 Practice Question: A developer writes an UPDATE statement to change…
A developer writes an UPDATE statement to change the price of a product but accidentally omits the WHERE clause. What is the most likely outcome?
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA often tests the misconception that an UPDATE without a WHERE clause will cause an error or only affect the first row, but the correct understanding is that it updates all rows in the 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
✓
All rows in the table are updated.
In SQL, an UPDATE statement without a WHERE clause applies the change to every row in the specified table. The database engine processes the statement as a set operation, iterating over all rows and setting the specified column(s) to the new value. This is not an error; it is a valid SQL command that results in a mass update.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
All rows in the table are updated.
Why this is correct
Without a WHERE clause, the UPDATE statement has no row filter, so the database engine applies the new price value to every row in the table. All records are modified rather than the single intended product.
- ✗
Only the first row is updated.
Why it's wrong here
Without WHERE, the UPDATE applies to every row in the table, not just the first; SQL has no implicit row limit. It is tempting because some tools preview or cap affected rows, but standard SQL semantics update the entire table, which is the actual risk here.
- ✗
The database returns a syntax error.
Why it's wrong here
Omitting WHERE is valid SQL syntax; the statement parses and executes, so no syntax error is raised. It is tempting because the omission is clearly a mistake, but the parser cannot detect intent — the danger is silent mass update, not rejection.
- ✗
No rows are updated because the statement is invalid.
Why it's wrong here
The statement is valid and executes; every row matching the (absent) filter is updated, so all rows change. It is tempting to assume the database rejects a WHERE-less UPDATE as unsafe, but no such validation exists by default in standard SQL engines.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This FC0-U71 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the FC0-U71 exam.