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Alcohol Server · Recognizing Intoxication

What is a 'standard drink' in terms of alcohol content?

Reviewed by Jordan Morley, Editorial Lead at 247SimpleTests. Written by the 247SimpleTests Editorial Team from the official source material cited on every question.

Correct answer

An amount containing roughly the same quantity of pure alcohol — e.g., about 12 oz of regular beer, 5 oz of wine, or 1.5 oz of distilled spirits

  1. A An amount containing roughly the same quantity of pure alcohol — e.g., about 12 oz of regular beer, 5 oz of wine, or 1.5 oz of distilled spirits
  2. B Only a pint of beer
  3. C Any glass of any size
  4. D Only a shot of liquor

Why this is the answer

A standard drink is defined by its alcohol content rather than its container, and different beverages reach that amount at different volumes: roughly 12 ounces of regular (about 5% ABV) beer, 5 ounces of (about 12% ABV) wine, and 1.5 ounces of (about 40% ABV) distilled spirits each contain a similar amount of pure alcohol. Servers should be aware that strong cocktails, large pours, or high-ABV craft beers can contain more than one standard drink, meaning a customer may be consuming more alcohol than the number of 'drinks' suggests.
Source: Responsible Beverage Service — Standard Drink

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About this topic: Recognizing Intoxication

Recognizing intoxication means reading the behavioural signs — slurred speech, loss of coordination, impaired judgement, changes in mood — rather than counting drinks. These questions cover the signs, the traffic-light assessment approach and when the point of no further service has been reached. This is one of 13 Seller-Server questions on recognizing intoxication, each with a full explanation on a single study page.

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