16Hit1600
Standard English ConventionsVery hardQuestion mark inside a quoted question

Standard English Conventions practice question

The interviewer asked only one question: 'What would you change ____

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

  1. A. first?'Correct
  2. B. first.'
  3. C. first'?
  4. D. first?'.

Answer: A. first?'

The quoted words are a question, so the question mark sits inside the closing quotation mark.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. first.'
A full stop turns the quoted question into a statement.
C. first'?
The question mark belongs to the quotation, inside the mark.
D. first?'.
No full stop after a question mark.

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