MLA Quiz
So How Well Do You Remember
Your MLA from ENC 1101?
In-Text Citation
Question 1
What is in-text citation?
Answer 1
Documentation inside the paper
Question 2
What are the five reasons for in-text
citation?
Answer 2
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Quoting
Summarizing
Paraphrasing
Statistics, percentage
Visual aid (graphs, illustrations, images)
Question 3
What are the five criteria to use a quote?
Answer 3
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Vivid, expressive language
Credibility
Present the author in his/her own voice
Jargon (technical language)
Translation (originally written in a foreign
language)
Question 4
What is the main difference between
summarizing and paraphrasing?
Answer 4
Paraphrasing is when you put the author‟s
words in your own words; however, you
follow very closely the sentence structure.
Hence, if the passage you are
paraphrasing is four lines, then your
paraphrase is approximately four lines.
Summarizing is condensing the passage in
your own words. You can use as many or
as little words as you need.
Question 5
What is an ellipsis? And what does it look
like?
Answer 5
Ellipsis is used to shorten a quote passage.
To use an ellipsis, you put three periods with
a space between. It looks like this: . . .
Question 6
What should you be aware of when using an
ellipsis?
Answer 6
You must not distort the quote. Also you
must make sure that the quote remains
grammatically and logically coherent.
Question 7
Do you ever use an ellipsis at the beginning
of a quote? Explain why or why not
Answer 7
You never use an ellipsis at the beginning of
the quote (though you do use it in the
middle and at the end if you are omitting
words in that sentence) because the
reader assumes that you are merging your
words with the author you are quoting.
Example: Poverty is indeed “a devastating
and debilitating disease . . .” (Emerson
19).
Question 8
If you are omitting an entire sentence or
sentences from the quote, how many
periods should you have?
Answer 8
Four: one period to indicate that the
sentence ended and three periods for the
ellipsis
Example. Ramona claims that “men and
women live in different spheres. . . . In the
female sphere, women communicate
openly about their emotions, and in the
male sphere, men communicate through
silence (12).
Question 9
What are brackets? What do they look like?
Answer 9
Brackets look like this: [ ]
Brackets are used for you to add in your
own words inside a quote to help clarify a
word or concept
Example
Feminist writer Mary Daly contends, “Minoan
society [matriarchal culture] celebrated
and worshipped nature and the female
body” (345).
Question 10
What do you put in brackets when the
passage you are quoting from is
grammatically incorrect?
Answer 10
[sic] or [the correct answer]
Example
Ramona disputes that “U.S. is not ready to
elect their [sic] first female president”
(219).
Or
Ramona disputes that “U.S. is not ready to
elect their [its] first female president” (219).
Question 11
What is a signal phrase?
Answer 11
A signal phrase introduces the source.
Example
Writer Peter Patterson contends, “ ” ( ).
“ ,” writer Peter Patterson contends. “ ” ( ).
“
,” contends writer Peter Patterson.
Question 12
What do you provide the very first time you
introduce the author to the reader?
Answer 12
The full name (first and last name) and a
description of the person pertaining to
his/her scholarship.
Example
Movie critic David Edelstein argues
Question 13
Once you introduced the author to the
reader, how then do you refer to the
author in the rest of your paper?
Answer 13
By the author‟s last name only. Do not use
Dr., Ms. or Mr.
Example
Edelstein asserts
Question 14
If you have a signal phrase, what goes in the
parenthetical citation?
According to feminist scholar Pat Campbell,
“Motherhood is a powerful act” (
).
Answer 14
The page number only. If the page number
is not given, then provide the paragraph
number or section number
According to feminist scholar Pat Campbell,
“Motherhood is a powerful act” (35).
Question 15
Do you ever write out p. or pg. or page in the
parenthetical citation?
(p. 12)
(pg. 12)
(page 12)
Answer 15
NO! Only the page number
Example
(12)
If it is a paragraph number, you write
(par. 12)
If it is a section number, you write
(sec. 12)
Question 16
If you do not have a signal phrase and you
do know that name of the author, what do
you put in your parenthetical citation?
“MLA documentation drives students
nuts!” ( ).
Answer 16
The author‟s last name and page number (or
paragraph or section number if the page number
is not provided)
Example
“MLA documentation drives students
nuts!” (McKinney, par. 3).
Notice that there is a comma after the author’s
name when you use par. or sec.
But for a page number, there is no comma:
(Mckinney 34).
Question 17
What do you put in the parenthetical citation
when you do not have a signal phrase and
the author is unknown?
“MLA documentation is tedious” (
).
This quote is from the article “Should
Students Learn MLA?”
Answer 17
The first main word of the title and page
number (or par. / sec.)
“MLA documentation is tedious” (“Should” 2).
Notice that because the first main word
comes from an article that is in quotation
marks, you must keep the quotation mark
intact
Question 18
Can you ever have a double quote within a
double quote
Johnson contends, “The policy makers are
not “consistent” with their stance on global
warming” (19).
Answer 18
NO! You can never have a double quote
within a double quote. The quote inside
must turn into a single quote
Example
Johnson contends, “The policy makers are
not „consistent‟ with their stance on global
warming” (19).
Question 19
What does (qtd. in Harrelson, par. 2) mean?
Singer Brittany Spears asserts, “I am getting
an unfair treatment from the media who is
treating me as a crazy woman” (qtd. in
Harrelson, par. 2).
Answer 19
qtd. is an abbreviation that means quoted
from. It is used when the source quoted
was mentioned in the text you read.
Singer Brittany Spears asserts, “I am getting
an unfair treatment from the media who is
treating me as a crazy woman” (qtd. in
Harrelson, par. 2).
So Brittany Spears was quoted in
Harrelson‟s article, which you read.
Question 20
What are the only two punctuation marks
that can come before a small quote (less
than five lines)?
Answer 20
? !
Parker shouts to the world, “I love New
York!” (12).
Question 21
What punctuation mark must always come
after the parenthetical citation for a small
quote?
Answer 21
. (period)
Parker contends, “New York is the best
place to live in” (12).
Question 22
What is a long quote for prose (not poetry)?
Answer 22
More than four lines (5 or more)
Question 23
What must you do for long quotes?
Answer 23
1.
2.
3.
4.
Drop the quotation marks
Indent two tabs (an inch)
Keep in double space
Period goes before the parenthetical
citation
5. Right margin remains at an inch
Example of a long quote
Education specialist Barb Walker writes:
Student feel left out of the system.
They do not understand why they must
endlessly take exams. They are always
bored and feel that they are not being
challenged. This is a real crisis that
educators must be aware of. (12)
Question 24
What is a long quote for poetry?
Answer 24
More than three lines
Question 25
How do you use quotations for poetry?
That is, how would you quote the first two
lines of Frost‟s poem “Fire and Ice”?
Some say the world will end in fire.
Some say in ice.
Answer 25
Poet Robert Frost writes, Some say the
world will end in fire. / Some say in ice (12).
Note: the line numbers of the poem are put
in parenthetical citation
Question 26
What are minor works and what do you do
to minor works?
Answer 26
Minor works are the following:
Titles of articles, songs, essays, short
stories, chapters, poems, radio segment,
and TV episode
All minor works are put in quotation marks.
Example
In Harrelson‟s essay “The Tribulations of
Eskimos”
Question 27
What are major works and what do you do
to major works?
Answer 27
Major works are the following:
Name of books, journals, magazines, long poems,
databases, TV and Radio programs, plays, films,
web sites, pamphlets
All major works are either italicized or
underlined, but not both. You must be
consistent. So if you decide to underline your
first major source, then throughout your paper all
your major works are underlined.
Example,
In Kate Chopin‟s novel Awakenings,
Question 28
Give 10 strong signal verbs besides “says”
and “writes”
Answer 28
acknowledges, asserts, debates, disputes,
contends, argues, points out, declares,
claims, states,
Score
• If you got 25 or more right, you are in
excellent shape.
• If you got 20 to 24 right, you are in good
shape.
• If you got 16 to 19 right, you are in decent
shape
• If you got 15 or less, you need to do more
(much more) reviewing of MLA – You are
not adequately prepared to handle your
first paper in this class!