Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993.
choice (n.)
The excessively literal-minded sometimes insist that logically there may be two or three things from which to choose but only one is the choice. Not so. Choice can indeed mean “the one I choose,” but it can also mean “the range of things from which I will choose, the choices offered me.” In other words, it can mean what the compound adjective multiple-choice means. Both meanings are Standard today. See also ALTERNATE (2); OPTION.
Choice as adjective or noun can be tricky, as comparison with federal meat-grading terms will remind you: at one time prime was best, choice only second-best, and standard (or another term) meant something like “the lowest grade acceptable for human consumption.”
