The number of actions that allow a switch to be closed is referred to as the ? of the switch.

• A. Coils
• B. Poles
• C. Relay
• D. Throws

Answer: (D)

In switch terminology, the number of contact paths available when the switch is closed is described as the throws. Each throw represents a path the current can take once the switch is in its closed state. So if a switch has one path it can connect to, it’s a single-throw; if it can connect to two paths, it’s a double-throw, and so on. This is why the correct term here is throws.

Coils refer to the activating coil in devices like relays and solenoids, not to how many contact paths the switch has. Poles indicate how many independent circuits the switch can control, which is a related concept but describes separate switch sections rather than the number of possible connections in the closed state. A relay is a device type, not a property of a switch.