Question

Which of these contains more alcohol than the other three: 1½ ounces (30 ml) of 80 proof liquor, five ounces (120 ml) wine, 12 ounces (360 ml) of beer, 12 ounces (360 ml) of wine-cooler?

1) 1½ ounces (30 ml) of 80 proof liquor
2) five ounces (120 ml) wine
3) 12 ounces (360 ml) of beer
4) 12 ounces (360 ml) of wine-cooler

Answer 1

Calculating ethanol content by volume, 12 ounces (360 ml) of beer has the most ethanol at 18 ml, making it the drink with the most alcohol compared to the other options listed.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine which of the given options contains more alcohol, we need to consider both the volume and the alcohol by volume (ABV) percentage of the drinks. An 80 proof liquor is 40% ethanol by volume, wine is typically about 12% ethanol by volume, beer is generally around 5% ethanol by volume, and a wine-cooler is often around 3-5% ethanol by volume.

Calculating the actual ethanol content for 1½ ounces (30 ml) of 80 proof liquor: 30 ml × 40% = 12 ml of ethanol. For five ounces (120 ml) of wine: 120 ml × 12% = 14.4 ml of ethanol. For 12 ounces (360 ml) of beer: 360 ml × 5% = 18 ml of ethanol. For 12 ounces (360 ml) of wine-cooler, assuming 4% ethanol by volume as an average: 360 ml × 4% = 14.4 ml of ethanol.

Comparing these values, 12 ounces (360 ml) of beer has the highest ethanol content at 18 ml, making it the drink that contains more ethanol than the other options provided.