Topic drill
Intoxication and over-service: practice quiz
Intoxication and over-service: practice quiz
About 9 questions, answers explained as you go
Like the real test, you pass with 80%. A new random set every time, from 124 questions.
Numbers to know
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| One standard drink | 0.6 oz (13.6 g) of pure alcohol |
| Beer, 5% | 12 oz |
| Wine, 12% | 5 oz |
| Spirits, 40% | 1.5 oz |
| Liver processing rate | About one standard drink an hour |
| BC Motor Vehicle Act | BAC 0.05: provincial penalties |
| Criminal Code | BAC 0.08: criminal offence |
To work out any drink: ounces × alcohol percentage ÷ 0.6 = standard drinks. A 20 oz pint of 6% beer is 20 × 0.06 = 1.2 oz, or two standard drinks.
Study every question
Alcohol, intoxication and preventing over-service (32)
BC law says you must not sell or serve liquor to a person who is…
Answer: Intoxicated or showing signs of intoxication
No one may sell, serve or give liquor to an intoxicated person or a person showing signs of intoxication.
As well as not serving intoxicated people, licensees and staff must not…
Answer: Allow a person in the service area to become intoxicated
The Act also forbids allowing a person in the service area to become intoxicated, so your job starts before the signs show.
How much 5% beer makes one standard drink?
Answer: 12 oz
12 oz of 5% beer holds 0.6 oz of pure alcohol: one standard drink.
How much 12% wine makes one standard drink?
Answer: 5 oz
5 oz of 12% wine holds 0.6 oz of pure alcohol: one standard drink.
How much 40% spirits makes one standard drink?
Answer: 1.5 oz
1.5 oz of 40% spirits holds 0.6 oz of pure alcohol: one standard drink.
In Canada, a standard drink contains how much pure alcohol?
Answer: 0.6 oz (13.6 g)
A Canadian standard drink is any drink with 0.6 oz (13.6 grams) of pure alcohol.
A drink made with 3 oz of 40% spirits is about how many standard drinks?
Answer: Two
3 oz × 0.40 = 1.2 oz of alcohol. That’s 0.6 oz twice over, so two standard drinks.
A 20 oz pint of 6% craft beer is about how many standard drinks?
Answer: Two
20 oz × 0.06 = 1.2 oz of alcohol, which is two standard drinks of 0.6 oz each.
A 9 oz glass of 12% wine is about how many standard drinks?
Answer: Almost two
9 oz × 0.12 = 1.08 oz of alcohol, close to two standard drinks (1.2 oz).
About how fast does the liver process alcohol?
Answer: About one standard drink an hour
The liver processes alcohol at a fairly fixed rate of about one standard drink (0.6 oz) an hour. Drinking faster than that builds up intoxication.
What actually sobers a person up?
Answer: Time
Only time sobers a person up. Coffee, showers and exercise don’t speed it up.
On an empty stomach, alcohol can reach the brain in as little as…
Answer: About three minutes
Alcohol can be absorbed and reach the brain in as little as three minutes.
How does food affect alcohol?
Answer: It slows how fast alcohol gets into the bloodstream, but doesn’t soak it up
Food slows absorption; it doesn’t absorb the alcohol. The effect still comes, just more slowly.
Which food does the most to slow alcohol absorption?
Answer: Food high in fat and protein
Fat and protein digest slowly and slow alcohol’s movement into the blood. Sugary or starchy food helps less, and salty food makes people thirsty.
Two patrons both weigh 85 kg. Which one is likely to become intoxicated sooner?
Answer: The one with more body fat
Fatty tissue holds less water than muscle, so at the same weight the person with more body fat dilutes alcohol less.
Why do females generally become intoxicated faster than males?
Answer: More body fat, less body water and lower levels of the enzyme that breaks down alcohol
Females generally have more body fat, less body water and less of the enzyme that metabolizes alcohol.
A regular with a high tolerance has had many drinks but seems fine. What’s the risk?
Answer: They may not show early signs, so you can underestimate how intoxicated they are
People with high tolerance may not show the early signs, but they do become intoxicated. Count drinks as well as watching behaviour.
A patron comes in after a long shift on very little sleep. How might that affect them?
Answer: Alcohol may affect them more
Physical, mental or emotional fatigue and stress make a person more susceptible to alcohol.
What’s the most useful thing to watch for when judging intoxication?
Answer: A change in their behaviour since they arrived
Assess patrons when they arrive. A later change in speech, mood or coordination is often the first sign.
Which of these is a sign of changing coordination?
Answer: Fumbling with a wallet or missing the straw
Struggling with a card, fumbling change or missing a straw are early coordination changes; bumping into furniture is a later one.
A patron switches to shooters and keeps forgetting where they left their drink. This points to…
Answer: Impaired judgment
Forgetting things and speeding up with bigger or faster drinks such as shooters are signs of impaired judgment.
Which condition can produce symptoms that look like intoxication?
Answer: Diabetes or hypoglycemia
Diabetes, hypoglycemia, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s and some disabilities can look like intoxication. Your first assessment matters.
A patron seems confused after just one drink and is wearing a medical alert bracelet. What do you do?
Answer: Stop alcohol service, ask if they feel ill and help them get medical attention
Ask whether they feel ill and check for a medical alert bracelet. Stopping service and getting medical help could save a life.
What does combining alcohol and cannabis usually do?
Answer: Causes more intense intoxication than either one alone
Using alcohol and cannabis together generally produces a more intense intoxication. Edibles may not smell, so stay alert.
Why is mixing alcohol with energy drinks risky?
Answer: The caffeine can hide how drunk a person feels, so they drink more
Caffeine can mask feelings of intoxication, leaving someone “wide awake and drunk” and likely to overconsume.
Alcohol is a…
Answer: Depressant
Alcohol is a depressant. A mild early lift is followed by a down feeling as people drink more.
In BC, what happens to a driver with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05 or more?
Answer: Provincial penalties under BC’s Motor Vehicle Act
BC’s Motor Vehicle Act treats 0.05 as the level where driving is affected. It isn’t a criminal offence, but provincial penalties are significant.
Driving with what blood alcohol concentration is a criminal offence under the Criminal Code?
Answer: 0.08
The Criminal Code sets driving impairment at a BAC of 0.08.
After someone’s last drink, how long can it take for their blood alcohol to peak?
Answer: Up to 30 minutes
It may take up to 30 minutes after the last drink to reach the highest BAC, so someone can seem fine at last call and be worse at the door.
Does mixing different kinds of drinks make someone more intoxicated?
Answer: No; the amount of alcohol is what counts, though mixing can make hangovers worse
Mixing drinks doesn’t raise intoxication; total alcohol does. It can make a hangover or nausea more likely.
What are the only accurate ways to measure blood alcohol?
Answer: An approved screening device such as a breathalyzer, or a blood test
Only an approved screening device or a blood test measures BAC accurately. Counting standard drinks gives servers a practical estimate.
Which order gives a patron the most alcohol in one drink?
Answer: A double, or a drink with more than one kind of liquor
Doubles and drinks made with several liquors usually hold more alcohol than a single, so they speed up intoxication.
Sources
- Serving It Right program manual, July 2026 (Province of British Columbia, PDF) · checked October 26, 2026
- Liquor Control and Licensing Act, SBC 2015, c. 19 (BC Laws) · checked October 26, 2026
Updated October 26, 2026. Not affiliated with the Government of British Columbia, the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch or the Serving It Right program.
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