Which of the following lists describes an ecchymosis?

• A. Red, blue, and pale
• B. Cyanotic, ashen, and rubor
• C. Dark, light, and bright
• D. Yellow, green, and purple

Answer: (B)

Ecchymosis is a bruise from blood leaking under the skin, and its color changes as the blood is broken down and reabsorbed. Early on, bruises can appear red or purplish, then shift to blue/purple, then green, and finally yellow as bilirubin forms and the bruise resolves. A list describing ecchymosis should show colors that reflect this time-based progression. Yellow, green, and purple capture that sequence, so it’s the best descriptor. The other color sets don’t fit the bruise color-change pattern: cyanotic and ashen relate to oxygenation and pallor, while rubor refers to inflammation-driven redness, not the bruise’s evolving colors.