Which of the following is an application of a combination circuit?

• A. Commercial building's lights
• B. Electrical outlets controlled by a switch
• C. Ceiling fan control
• D. A simple resistor and battery loop

Answer: (C)

A combination circuit contains both series and parallel connections, allowing some components to share current while others take separate paths. A ceiling fan control often uses this mix to adjust speed: different windings or control elements are arranged so that certain parts of the circuit are in series with the supply, while other parts provide alternate paths, enabling multiple speed settings by effectively changing how current is distributed to the motor.

The other options don’t typically involve a mix of series and parallel within the same control network. Commercial building lights are wired primarily in parallel so each fixture sees the full supply voltage. Electrical outlets controlled by a switch are also arranged in parallel, with the switch simply breaking the hot path to one outlet. A simple loop with a resistor and a battery is a straightforward series circuit, where the same current flows through every component and there aren’t parallel branches.