Correct Answer: A
A relationship in an Entity-Relationship (ER) model can indeed be mandatory for both entities, meaning that an instance of one entity must relate to one and only one instance of another entity, and vice versa. This is commonly seen in a one-to-one relationship where both sides are mandatory.
Option B is incorrect; a one-to-one relationship does not have to be self-referencing. Self-referencing (or recursive) relationships occur when an entity has a relationship with itself.
Option C is incorrect; a many-to-many relationship typically requires a join table or associative entity with foreign keys that reference the primary keys of the two entities it connects.
Option D is incorrect; in the case of a self-referencing relationship, you may need to use aliases to specify the table more than once to differentiate between the self-referenced columns.
Option E is incorrect because a one-to-many relationship in one direction does not equate to a one-to-one relationship in the opposite direction.
Reference:
Entity-Relationship Model Concepts: ER Model