In this case I believe the ambiguity is a result of the limits of the multiple-choice format. Here “broke” is intransitive. It has not direct object, so nothing on which force can be applied. At least grammatically; in the “real world” obviously something did apply force. There’s a breakdown between the grammatical and the logical here, with the grammar not expressing the full logical range, which must be assumed. (Even if you take “broke” to mean “fail,” as in a machine broke, logically something caused that failure, be it electrical spike, friction wearing away a gear, drying of lubricant, etc.)
You could include choices for such things, but the range would be so large as to be unworkable.