Do projects automatically inherit every module listed under dependencyManagement in the BOM parent POM file?

• A. Yes, automatically
• B. No, only when they are also listed in the child pom dependencies
• C. No, dependencyManagement has no effect on inheritance
• D. Yes, but only for transitive dependencies

Answer: (B)

Dependency management centralizes dependency versions, but it doesn’t automatically add those dependencies to a project. In a BOM, the dependencyManagement section lists dependencies with their versions so that child projects can omit versions when declaring them. However, for a dependency to actually be pulled into the build, the child POM must declare that dependency in its dependencies section. If a module appears only in dependencyManagement and is never listed in the child’s dependencies, Maven won’t include it. The BOM can still influence version resolution for dependencies you do declare, and their transitive dependencies, but nothing is pulled in solely by being listed in dependencyManagement. So dependencies are inherited only when the child explicitly depends on them.