Which sentence ends with a question mark?

• A. A direct question should end with a semicolon.
• B. A direct question should end with a period.
• C. A direct question should end with an exclamation point.
• D. A direct question should end with a question mark.

Answer: (D)

Direct questions in English use a question mark at the end. The sentence that says so—“A direct question should end with a question mark”—ends with a question mark, so it matches the rule and is correct. The other endings don’t signal a question: a semicolon is used to connect related independent clauses, a period marks a declarative statement, and an exclamation point adds emphasis or strong emotion. Because a direct question requires the question mark, that sentence is the proper one.