Which describes a closed (simple) fracture?

• A. The skin remains intact
• B. The skin is broken
• C. The bone is not broken
• D. The bone is dislocated

Answer: (A)

A closed fracture occurs when the bone is broken but the skin over the fracture site remains intact. There’s no open wound, so the bone is not exposed to the outside environment. This is what distinguishes a closed (simple) fracture from an open fracture, where the skin is broken and the bone may be exposed.

So why this description fits best: saying the skin remains intact directly captures the defining feature of a closed fracture. If the skin were broken, that would be an open fracture. If the bone weren’t broken, there wouldn’t be a fracture at all. If the bone were dislocated, that describes a dislocation, which is a different injury (though a fracture can occur with dislocation, the description focuses on skin integrity rather than alignment).