Psychophysicist Howard Moskowitz was hired by a soda company to determine how much artiﬁcial sweetener ______ After
conducting consumer taste tests, he found that no such ideal existed: participants expressed a wide range of preferences
for different blends of sweetener, carbonization, and ﬂavoring.
do most people prefer in a diet drink?
do most people prefer in a diet drink.
most people prefer in a diet drink?
most people prefer in a diet drink.
Choice D is the best answer. This sentence is a statement: “Moskowitz was hired by a soda company to determine how
much artiﬁcial sweetener most people prefer in a diet drink.” So a period is the most appropriate punctuation mark.  
Choice A is incorrect. This doesn’t complete the text in a way that conforms to the conventions of Standard English. This
sentence is not a question—it’s a statement. So a question mark is not the appropriate punctuation. Choice B is incorrect.
This doesn’t complete the text in a way that conforms to the conventions of Standard English. We already have the verbs
“was hired…to determine” in this sentence. The verb “do” is not needed and results in a confusing, ungrammatical
sentence. Choice C is incorrect. This doesn’t complete the text in a way that conforms to the conventions of Standard
English. This sentence is not a question—it’s a statement. So a question mark is not the appropriate punctuation.