A standard drink is defined as which of the following?

• A. 5 oz of wine
• B. 1.5 oz of liquor, 6 oz of wine, and 12 oz of beer
• C. 12 oz beer only
• D. 2 oz of liquor, 5 oz of wine, and 10 oz of beer

Answer: (B)

A standard drink represents a fixed amount of ethanol, about 0.6 ounces (14 grams), regardless of beverage type. Because beer, wine, and liquor have different alcohol concentrations, the serving size for each to reach that same amount of alcohol differs. The option given reflects this by using volumes commonly associated with delivering roughly the same ethanol content across beverage types: liquor in a typical shot, wine in a larger glass, and beer in a standard bottle or can. This illustrates that different drinks can contain the same amount of alcohol even though the volumes differ. Other choices focus on a single beverage or use volumes that wouldn’t align to the same amount of alcohol, so they don’t capture the standard-drink concept.