Which phrasing indicates the knee is proximal to the ankle?

• A. The ankle is nearer to the body.
• B. The knee is farther from the body than the ankle.
• C. The ankle is near the knee.
• D. The knee is near the ankle.

Answer: (D)

Proximal means closer to the trunk. On the leg, the knee sits nearer to the body's center than the ankle, so the knee is the more proximal landmark relative to the ankle. Saying the knee is near the ankle communicates that these two points are close to each other along the limb while preserving the idea that the knee is the closer-to-centre point. The other phrasings either place the ankle closer to the body or describe their closeness in a way that doesn’t clearly express the knee’s position relative to the trunk, making this wording the clearest way to indicate the knee is proximal to the ankle.