Final answer:
A clinical trial, which evaluates a new compound to improve wound healing, falls under the category of a controlled experiment.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct answer is A. a controlled experiment. A clinical trial, which evaluates a new compound designed to improve wound healing, involves testing the compound under controlled conditions to determine its effectiveness. This falls under the category of a controlled experiment, not an observational study. In an observational study, researchers observe and gather information without actively intervening or manipulating variables.