Which description matches a scalpel?

• A. small, straight knife with a thin, sharp blade used for surgery and dissection
• B. cutting instrument with ring handles, both blades are dull
• C. cutting instrument with ring handles, one tip is dull and the other is a point
• D. cutting instrument with ring handles, both blades are at a point

Answer: (A)

A scalpel is a small, straight knife with a thin, sharp blade used for precise surgical incisions and dissection. This single, sharp blade is designed for clean, controlled cuts with minimal tissue trauma, which is what distinguishes a scalpel from other cutting tools that use two blades (like scissors) or blades that aren’t sharp. The ring-handled instruments described in the other options are typically scissors, which are meant for cutting with two blades and often have blunt or differently shaped tips, not the single, precise blade of a scalpel.