When current finds an alternate path back to the source, rather than through the load, it is called a short circuit.

• A. Closed
• B. Infinite
• C. Open
• D. Short

Answer: (D)

A short circuit is when current finds a path of very low resistance that bypasses the load and returns directly to the source. When that happens, the current doesn’t go through the device the circuit is meant to power, so it flows through an unintended shortcut instead. That bypass, with its low resistance, is what defines a short circuit, because it short-circuits the intended path and typically causes a much higher current than normal. The other terms describe different situations: a closed circuit means the loop is complete and current can flow through the load; an open circuit means the path is broken and current stops; while infinite resistance implies no current generally, it doesn’t describe the bypass path that characterizes a short. So when current takes an alternate, low-resistance route back to the source instead of through the load, the situation is a short circuit.