Which of the following is considered to be a standard drink?

Which of the following is considered to be a standard drink?

• A. 16-ounce beer
• B. 12-ounce beer
• C. 8-ounce wine
• D. 3-ounce shot

Answer: (B)

A standard drink is a way to quantify alcohol content across different beverages, roughly equal to 14 grams of pure alcohol. In practice, this is approximated by 12 oz of beer (about 5% ABV), 5 oz of wine (about 12% ABV), or 1.5 oz of 80-proof distilled spirits. Among the options, the 12-ounce beer matches the standard drink size. The 16-ounce beer contains more alcohol than one standard drink; the 8-ounce wine typically contains more than one standard drink at common wine strengths; and the 3-ounce shot amounts to about two standard drinks at typical spirit strengths. So the 12-ounce beer is the standard drink.

A standard drink is a way to quantify alcohol content across different beverages, roughly equal to 14 grams of pure alcohol. In practice, this is approximated by 12 oz of beer (about 5% ABV), 5 oz of wine (about 12% ABV), or 1.5 oz of 80-proof distilled spirits.

Among the options, the 12-ounce beer matches the standard drink size. The 16-ounce beer contains more alcohol than one standard drink; the 8-ounce wine typically contains more than one standard drink at common wine strengths; and the 3-ounce shot amounts to about two standard drinks at typical spirit strengths. So the 12-ounce beer is the standard drink.