Using question mark in a question
I reproduce below a question:
"Which of the following is correct: 1. If you so desire, you may download the content. 2. You may download the content, if you so desire."
The question should take a question mark, as is usual with any question. I have no idea where the question mark could be placed in this question. Can anyone tell me where the question mark be placed in this question? Or, is the question okay without the question mark?
Actually if this is, say, a test question, then its status as a question is understood and no question mark is needed. However, in other contexts, I believe Mark is right. Here are two examples:
Which of the following is correct:
If you so desire, you may download the content. (With or without a period, or you could use a semicolon)
You may download the content, if you so desire. (Use a period if you did so for [1] or used a semicolon)
In prose, you could do it like this:
Which of the following is correct: 1) If you so desire, you may download the content; or 2) you may download the content, if you so desire?
If you use a colon, you may not end statement [1] with a period. A semicolon works much better than a comma.
That still looks bad. How about this:
Which of the following is correct--1) if you so desire, you may download the content; or 2) you may download the content if you so desire--?
My Android doesn't make em-dashes. I still like Mark's plan. Just use a semicon rather than a period between [1] and [2]
Since you have numbered the two statements, the use of the colon is not needed. Instead, a question mark would be placed after "correct" instead.