In musical notation, which rest is used sometimes for a full measure of silence?

The correct choice is a whole rest, which is the standard notation for a full measure of silence in music. A whole rest is depicted as a solid rectangle that hangs down from the second line of the staff, indicating that the duration of silence lasts for the full length of a measure, matching the duration of a whole note.

While a breve rest exists, it is not commonly used in modern musical notation for indicating silence. The breve rest suggests two whole notes of silence but is rare in practical application. The whole rest is more widely recognized and understood by musicians as signifying a complete measure of silence, making it the appropriate choice for the question.

Quarter rests and dotted half rests represent shorter durations of silence and do not imply a full measure of silence; therefore, they do not fulfill the requirements of the question specifically seeking a rest used for an entire measure.