Avoiding Plagiarism and Citing Sources

Question 1

Ortiz wrote: "Sea otters eat urchins, and the kelp forests around them grow back within a few years." Which student use is an acceptable paraphrase of that sentence?

Accepted Answer

Ortiz reports that when otters prey on urchins, nearby kelp forests can recover in a few years.

Answer

Sea otters consume urchins, and the kelp forests near them return within a few years.

Answer

Ortiz says sea otters eat urchins, and the kelp forests around them grow back within a few years.

Answer

Delgado's team found that otters eating urchins helps kelp forests recover quickly.

Question 2

Whitfield's book, page 14, states: "The bridge was rebuilt in 1937 after floodwaters tore out its center span." Which student use is an acceptable direct quotation?

Accepted Answer

As Whitfield notes, "The bridge was rebuilt in 1937 after floodwaters tore out its center span" (14).

Answer

As Whitfield notes, "The bridge was repaired in 1937 after a flood destroyed its middle span" (14).

Answer

As Whitfield notes, the bridge was rebuilt in 1937 after floodwaters tore out its center span (14).

Answer

"The bridge was rebuilt in 1937 after floodwaters tore out its center span."

Question 3

A student read this book: author Nadia Osei; title Mapping the Marsh; publisher Harbor Line Books; year 2018. Which works-cited entry arranges these elements correctly in MLA style?

Accepted Answer

Osei, Nadia. Mapping the Marsh. Harbor Line Books, 2018.

Answer

Nadia Osei. Mapping the Marsh. Harbor Line Books, 2018.

Answer

Osei, Nadia. Mapping the Marsh. 2018, Harbor Line Books.

Answer

Osei, Nadia. Mapping the Marsh. Harbor Line Books.

Question 4

A student keeps a source's sentence structure and replaces only a few words with synonyms, then lists that source on the works-cited page. How is this use best described?

Accepted Answer

Plagiarism, because the sentence's structure is still the source's even though some words changed.

Answer

An acceptable paraphrase, because the wording no longer matches the source exactly.

Answer

An acceptable quotation, because the source appears on the works-cited page.

Answer

Acceptable use, because a works-cited entry covers any wording borrowed from a source.

Question 5

A student used this article: author Lionel Park; article "Ice on the Reservoir"; newspaper The Cedar Falls Register; 8 February 2020; page 3. Which MLA works-cited entry is formatted correctly?

Accepted Answer

Park, Lionel. "Ice on the Reservoir." The Cedar Falls Register, 8 Feb. 2020, p. 3.

Answer

Park, Lionel. Ice on the Reservoir. The Cedar Falls Register, 8 Feb. 2020, p. 3.

Answer

Park, Lionel. "Ice on the Reservoir." 8 Feb. 2020, The Cedar Falls Register, p. 3.

Answer

Park, Lionel, "Ice on the Reservoir," The Cedar Falls Register, 8 Feb. 2020, p. 3.

Question 6

A student's report on a local mill contains these four sentences. Which one requires a source citation?

Accepted Answer

A 2021 town survey found that 62 percent of residents wanted the mill preserved.

Answer

The mill stands beside the river at the edge of town.

Answer

Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

Answer

The Fourth of July is a national holiday in the United States.

Question 7

A student paraphrases page 42 of a book by Osei. Which sentence places the MLA in-text citation correctly?

Accepted Answer

Sea otter numbers along the coast tripled after the hunting ban (Osei 42).

Answer

Sea otter numbers along the coast tripled after the hunting ban. (Osei 42)

Answer

Sea otter numbers along the coast tripled after the hunting ban (Osei, 42).

Answer

Sea otter numbers along the coast tripled after the hunting ban (Osei, page 42).

Question 8

Vance wrote: "Volunteers planted 400 trees along the creek, and shade from the new canopy cooled the water by three degrees." Which student version restates this responsibly?

Accepted Answer

Vance reports that 400 volunteer-planted trees now shade the creek, lowering its water temperature by about three degrees.

Answer

Volunteers planted 400 trees beside the creek, and shade from the new canopy chilled the water by three degrees.

Answer

Volunteers planted 400 trees along the creek, and shade from the new canopy cooled the water by three degrees.

Answer

Kroll's study shows that shade from 400 newly planted trees cooled the creek by three degrees.

Question 9

Reyes wrote on page 7: "The council voted, after months of debate, to fund the new footbridge." Which student quotation trims the middle of that sentence correctly?

Accepted Answer

Reyes reports that the council "voted . . . to fund the new footbridge" (7).

Answer

Reyes reports that the council "voted to fund the new footbridge" (7).

Answer

Reyes reports that the council "voted, after debate, to fund the new footbridge" (7).

Answer

Reyes reports that the council "voted . . . to fund the new footbridge across the creek" (7).

Question 10

A student used this web page: author Dana Kroll; page "Counting Marsh Birds"; site Wetlands Watch; posted 3 October 2021; address wetlandswatch.org/marsh-birds. Which MLA entry is correct?

Accepted Answer

Kroll, Dana. "Counting Marsh Birds." Wetlands Watch, 3 Oct. 2021, wetlandswatch.org/marsh-birds.

Answer

Kroll, Dana. "Counting Marsh Birds." Wetlands Watch, wetlandswatch.org/marsh-birds.

Answer

Wetlands Watch. Kroll, Dana. "Counting Marsh Birds." 3 Oct. 2021, wetlandswatch.org/marsh-birds.

Answer

wetlandswatch.org/marsh-birds. Kroll, Dana. "Counting Marsh Birds." Wetlands Watch, 3 Oct. 2021.

Question 11

A student restates a source's idea in completely new wording and sentence structure but names no source anywhere in the paper. How is this use best described?

Accepted Answer

Plagiarism, because the idea came from the source and is presented without credit.

Answer

An acceptable paraphrase, because none of the source's original wording remains.

Answer

An acceptable summary, because the new sentence is shorter than the original.

Answer

Acceptable use, because credit is needed only for wording that is quoted directly.

Question 12

A student quotes page 61 of a book by Osei. Which sentence introduces and cites the quotation correctly?

Accepted Answer

As Osei explains, "the kelp beds returned first in the shallowest water" (61).

Answer

As one scientist explains, "the kelp beds returned first in the shallowest water" (61).

Answer

As Osei explains, the kelp beds returned first in the shallowest water (61).

Answer

As Osei explains, "the kelp beds returned first in the shallowest water."

Question 13

While taking research notes, which practice best protects a student from accidentally plagiarizing later?

Accepted Answer

Putting quotation marks and the page number around any wording copied straight from the source.

Answer

Copying useful sentences into the notes so the exact wording is available later.

Answer

Saving the web address of every source and adding the citations after drafting.

Answer

Changing a few words in each copied sentence while taking the notes.

Question 14

A student used a book written by two authors: Marisol Delgado and Lionel Park, Rivers Undone, Cedar Press, 2019. Which MLA works-cited entry is correct?

Accepted Answer

Delgado, Marisol, and Lionel Park. Rivers Undone. Cedar Press, 2019.

Answer

Delgado, Marisol, and Park, Lionel. Rivers Undone. Cedar Press, 2019.

Answer

Delgado, Marisol. Park, Lionel. Rivers Undone. Cedar Press, 2019.

Answer

Marisol Delgado and Lionel Park. Rivers Undone. Cedar Press, 2019.

Question 15

Four students used the same article about tide gates in their reports. Which use is plagiarism?

Accepted Answer

Copying two sentences from the article into the report exactly, with the author named but no quotation marks.

Answer

Restating one paragraph's point in new sentences and naming the article's author.

Answer

Quoting one sentence inside quotation marks and naming the author and page.

Answer

Condensing the whole article into three sentences and naming the article's author.

Question 16

Whitfield wrote: "The storm dropped nine inches of rain in six hours, an amount the drains were never built to carry." Which student sentence blends paraphrase and quotation correctly?

Accepted Answer

Whitfield notes that nine inches of rain fell in six hours, an amount the drains "were never built to carry" (22).

Answer

Whitfield notes that nine inches of rain fell in six hours, an amount the drains were never built to carry (22).

Answer

Whitfield notes that nine inches of rain fell in six hours, an amount the drains "could never have handled" (22).

Answer

Nine inches of rain fell in six hours, an amount the drains "were never built to carry."

Question 17

A student used this journal article: Marisol Ruiz; "Kelp Recovery on Rocky Shores"; Coastal Science Review; volume 12; issue 3; 2020; pages 55-68. Which MLA entry is correct?

Accepted Answer

Ruiz, Marisol. "Kelp Recovery on Rocky Shores." Coastal Science Review, vol. 12, no. 3, 2020, pp. 55-68.

Answer

Ruiz, Marisol. "Kelp Recovery on Rocky Shores." Coastal Science Review, no. 3, vol. 12, 2020, pp. 55-68.

Answer

Ruiz, Marisol. "Kelp Recovery on Rocky Shores." Coastal Science Review, vol. 12, no. 3, 2020.

Answer

Ruiz, Marisol. "Kelp Recovery on Rocky Shores." Coastal Science Review, pp. 55-68, vol. 12, no. 3, 2020.

Question 18

Four students each used a six-page report on marsh birds. Which use is a summary rather than a paraphrase?

Accepted Answer

Stating the report's overall finding in one sentence of the student's own, with the author named.

Answer

Restating one sentence of the report at about the same length, with the author named.

Answer

Reproducing one sentence of the report inside quotation marks, with the author and page named.

Answer

Restating one paragraph of the report at about the same length, with the author named.

Question 19

A student turns numbers from a published report's chart into a sentence of her own wording. What must she still do?

Accepted Answer

Name the report as the source of the data in her sentence and her works-cited list.

Answer

Place her sentence inside quotation marks because the numbers came from the chart.

Answer

Skip the credit, because the sentence around the numbers is entirely her own wording.

Answer

Give only the report's web address, since a chart has no author to name.

Question 20

Kroll wrote: "Marsh bird counts rose from 40 pairs to 130 pairs after the tide gates were removed." Which student use avoids plagiarism?

Accepted Answer

Kroll found that nesting pairs of marsh birds climbed from 40 to 130 once the tide gates came out.

Answer

Marsh bird counts increased from 40 pairs to 130 pairs after the tide gates were taken out.

Answer

Marsh bird counts rose from 40 pairs to 130 pairs after the tide gates were removed.

Answer

Park's survey recorded marsh bird pairs rising from 40 to 130 after the tide gates were removed.

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BLASTROOM

BLASTROOM

Avoiding Plagiarism and Citing Sources

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Top Corner

Avoiding Plagiarism and Citing Sources

Ways to Play

Device Games: Students play on their phones

Blast Go

Zombie Escape

Avalanche

Maze Blast

Cave Climb

Blast Out

Mystery Auction

Tour Guide

Food Truck Rush

Tug of War

Alien Blast

Glacier Rush

Board Games: Teacher-led, projected to the class

Like what you see?

More like this

Bug Blast

BlastRace

BlastQuiz

BlastBoard

Seek & Destroy

Mystery Blast

Checkers

Texas Hold 'Em

Da Bomb

Castle Siege

Hot Potato

Market Mayhem

King of the Hill

Bank Heist

Top Corner