Which of the following is NOT one of the two primary safety devices described for dwelling circuits?

• A. GFCIs
• B. Overcurrent protection devices
• C. Grounding / bonding
• D. Fuses or circuit breakers

Answer: (A)

Two primary safety strategies protect dwelling circuits: overcurrent protection and grounding/bonding. Overcurrent protection devices, like fuses or circuit breakers, automatically interrupt current if it rises too high, preventing overheating of wires and components. Grounding and bonding create a low-impedance path to earth and establish a safe reference, helping fault currents trip protective devices and reducing shock risk. GFCIs protect against ground faults by continuously monitoring current in hot and neutral and tripping if an imbalance is detected, which is a different protective approach focused on person safety in specific locations. Because this question focuses on the two main safety mechanisms—overcurrent protection and grounding/bonding—GFCIs aren’t counted as one of the two primary safety devices, making the option describing GFCIs the correct choice for not belonging to the two core categories.