In standard modern English typing and competitive exam grammar, how many spaces are normally required after a full stop (period) at the end of a sentence before starting the next sentence?

Introduction / Context:
In exams that ask about English usage, keyboarding rules, and formal writing conventions, questions often test how many spaces should follow punctuation marks, especially a full stop at the end of a sentence. Historically, typewriters used different spacing practices from modern word processors. Today, most style guides for academic and professional writing recommend a consistent approach. This question checks whether the learner knows the current standard convention for spacing after a period.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- The focus is on modern English typing and word processing.
- The punctuation mark mentioned is a full stop (period) at the end of a sentence.
- We assume normal proportional fonts used in computers, not old monospaced typewriters.
- The task is to find how many spaces are normally required between sentences.

Concept / Approach:
Traditional typewriters often used double spacing after a period, because monospaced fonts made text harder to scan. With modern proportional fonts and digital typesetting, the extra space is unnecessary and can even look uneven. Almost all major style guides, such as those used in academic, journalistic, and business contexts, recommend a single space after a full stop in regular running text. Therefore, in most contemporary exams and professional settings, one space is considered correct.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recognise that the question refers to present-day standard practice in typing and word processing. Step 2: Recall that older typewriter habits sometimes used two spaces after full stops. Step 3: Note that modern style guides and software such as word processors expect one space after a period in normal text. Step 4: Compare each numerical option with this convention and identify that the correct modern rule is one space. Step 5: Conclude that the required number of spaces between sentences in standard practice is 1.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify this by observing professionally typeset books, newspapers, and reputable online articles. The text appears visually even, and there is no obvious wide gap between sentences. Additionally, many grammar resources and style manuals state clearly that only one space should follow a full stop, a question mark, or an exclamation mark in running text. If learners try double spacing in modern documents, tools or editors sometimes automatically collapse it to a single space.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
- "2" spaces reflects an outdated typewriter convention and is no longer considered standard in most contexts.
- "3" spaces is excessive and never recommended in formal writing or typing rules.
- "0" spaces would join sentences together and make them difficult to read, so it is clearly incorrect.
Only one space provides a neat, readable appearance and follows modern usage guidelines.

Common Pitfalls:
Many people learn to type on older systems or from teachers who still prefer two spaces. This habit can persist, leading to confusion in exams. Another pitfall is interpreting the question as asking about spaces after any punctuation mark, such as commas, where the rule can differ. Here the focus is clearly on spacing between sentences after a full stop. Reading the entire question and remembering that exams usually follow current style, not obsolete conventions, will help avoid mistakes.

Final Answer:
According to modern standard practice, the correct number of spaces after a full stop at the end of a sentence is 1.