What is the outcome of the vote?

• A. Nurse Ratched declares the proposal defeated, and the vote is closed.
• B. The proposal passes after Bromden's vote.
• C. The vote is inconclusive and postponed.
• D. The vote is declared invalid due to procedure.

Answer: (A)

The key idea here is how power and procedure in the ward shape outcomes as much as any one patient’s opinion. Nurse Ratched presides over the meeting with formal control—she sets the tone, enforces the rules, and has the authority to declare results and end the discussion. When she states that the proposal is defeated and that the vote is closed, it shows that her control over the process determines the result, not any last-minute shift in mood or a single vote. The moment underscores her ability to shut down dissent and maintain order.

This fits the scene because the chair’s final say ends the proceedings immediately, leaving no room for further argument or delay. The other possibilities—passing after Bromden’s vote, the vote being inconclusive and postponed, or the vote being invalid due to procedure—don’t align with what actually happens, where the vote is concluded with the defeat declared and the meeting closed.