Which of the following best describes the structure of a relational database?

The structure of a relational database is best described by the statement that information is stored in structured tables with relationships. In a relational database, data is organized into tables (or relations), where each table consists of rows and columns. Rows represent records, while columns represent attributes of the data. The relationships among different tables can be established through foreign keys, which create links between data entries across these tables. This structured approach allows for efficient data retrieval, integrity, and the ability to easily enforce data constraints.

The other options reflect different concepts of data organization. Collections of unlinked datasets do not imply any structure or relationship and are not representative of relational databases. Hierarchical forms of data imply a parent-child relationship that is rigid and does not allow the flexibility and many-to-many relationships that relational databases offer. Lastly, free-form data organization suggests a lack of structure, which is contrary to the core design principles of relational database systems that emphasize organized and interrelated data.