MLA
True or False: This is an accurate parenthetical MLA citation.
(Stevens)
True
Is this quote Informational or Viewpoint/Opinion?
“Energy drinks often contain caffeine, sugar, and other ingredients designed to increase alertness.”
INFORMATIONAL
Which of the following belongs in a fair and accurate summary?
A. Your opinion about the topic
B. The author's main idea
C. Information from another article
D. What you think the author should have said
B. The author's main idea
TRUE OR FALSE? This source is cited correctly?
According to Jordan Smith, teenagers benefit from getting enough sleep (Smith).
FALSE
What type of summary narrates each step in a writer’s argument?
play-by-play summary
Which are the six primary elements of an MLA 9 Works Cited citation?
AUTHOR, TITLE OF SOURCE, CONTAINER, PUBLISHER, DATE, LOCATION
This [5-day work week] issue is affecting our ability to function successfully as a society. People’s hesitation to act on new information is understandable, but to not act on it at all is worse. The data is clear: 87% of working adults surveyed have said that a 4-day work week would benefit their physical, mental, and emotional well-being (Michaels). Yes, America is one of the most productive economies in the world, and yes, our work ethic is a contributing factor, but credible researchers argue that not only do we need and benefit from a meaningful break from the daily grind, business owners do as well. Samuel Johnson, noted author of the book Four Is More: How the Four-Day Work Week Boosts Economic Productivity, claims that having only a single weekday off actually increases work productivity by two hundred percent (77). Employers should take note of the potential impact of adjusting their work weeks to four days, so they can increase productivity while simultaneously improving employee well-being.
Is this passage most likely to be from an informational source or a viewpoint source?
VIEWPOINT
Original passage:
Many teenagers use social media to communicate with friends and discover information. However, excessive social media use can interfere with sleep and schoolwork.
Student summary:
Social media is terrible for teenagers and should be banned because it is ruining their lives.
TRUE OR FALSE: The student summary is accurate?
FALSE
Should the student cite this source? Why or Why not?
Original source idea: Teenagers who regularly get enough sleep may perform better academically.
Paraphrase: Getting adequate sleep can positively affect a teenager's academic performance (Smith).
Yes, because the original idea was stated by the author and not the student.
Which transition shows that the writer is beginning the argument?
A. Finally
B. Begins his argument
C. However
D. In conclusion
B — Begins his argument
Where would this citation be found?
Jones, Mary. “Local Swim Team Goes for the Gold.” Texas Sports Magazine, 26 Jan. 2026.
Works Cited Page
The most important takeaway from the study is that the problem is growing. With a sample size of over 1 million tests, we can no longer expect the American people to sit back and ignore this issue. Jane Smith’s research proves that more individuals are reaching their breaking point; Smith even says that the lab’s findings were “important enough to make a significant contribution on domestic and foreign policy.” So, it’s not just us, the American people, who will be impacted by this research, but even other countries will see how important this research is for the whole world’s future well-being.
Is this passage most likely to be from an informational source or a viewpoint source?
VIEWPOINT
[W]hen friendship is conducted online and through texts, kids are doing this in a context stripped of many of the most personal — and sometimes intimidating — aspects of communication. It’s easier to keep your guard up when you’re texting, so less is at stake. You aren’t hearing or seeing the effect that your words are having on the other person. Because the conversation isn’t happening in real time, each party can take more time to consider a response. No wonder kids say calling someone on the phone is ‘too intense’— it requires more direct communication, and if you aren’t used to that it may well feel scary.
If kids aren’t getting enough practice relating to people and getting their needs met in person and in real time, many of them will grow up to be adults who are anxious about our species’ primary means of communication — talking. And of course social negotiations only get riskier as people get older and begin navigating romantic relationships and employment.
Ehmke, Rachel. "How Using Social Media Affects Teenagers," Child Mind Institute, 16 Apr. 2025 childmind.org/article/how-using-social-media-affects-teenagers/. Accessed 6 June 2025.
Which option demonstrates a fair summary of the above passage?
A. Young people primarily communicate with friends online or via text, which leads to anxiety due to unmet needs. These young people are not learning empathy, because they don’t see or hear how their words affect other people. They aren’t learning how to respond in-the-moment, because they can just set their phone down and walk away, returning to the conversation later when they’ve had time to think about it (Ehmke).
B. Kids are communicating primarily online. For this reason, they are often intimidated by real-time or “more direct communication” such as phone calls, whose immediacy may feel scary or “too intense.” This lack of exposure to real-time communication results in adults who are anxious to speak to other people, which could affect their romantic relationships and employment opportunities (Emhke).
B
When should a student put quotations in a text?
When copying an authors thoughts Word for word from a source.
Why does a play-by-play summary help ensure accuracy?
It follows the order in which the original writer presented the argument.
Use the passage below to answer the question about quotation.
While the benefits of eating less meat . . . don’t get any clearer than that, why aren’t more people doing it? A 2020 Gallup poll reported that only 23 percent of Americans said they “occasionally” eat meat, against 67 percent who said they “frequently” eat it. I argue that this discrepancy is due to the conversation around meat consumption being a primarily ethical one, rather than one focused on the climate.
Of the four student paragraphs below, which most effectively frames a direct quotation from the passage above?
A. The author argues that the benefit of eating less meat is really "[an] ethical one" instead of focused on the climate (Berry).
B. In Cullen Berry’s text, Cullen argues that there is a “discrepancy in the conversations about not eating meat” (Berry).
C. In Cullen Berry’s text, Berry isolates one determining factor contributing to the lack of meatless diets amongst people by highlighting that “the conversation around meat consumption [is] a primarily ethical one, rather than one focused on the climate” (Berry).
D. In Cullen Berry’s text, Cullen reports, “Americans occasionally eat meat, against 67 percent who said they frequently eat it” (Cullen).
C
Name TWO examples of informational sources.
Possible answers: textbook, weather report, research report, factual news article, government report, statistics.
Use the passage below to answer the question about complete summary.
In his opinion piece on the new start time for local high schools, Sam Wilson refers to his conversations with parents of students working part-time jobs. He mentions Marian Rodgers, mother of a junior at Bridgeway High School, who claims that the later start time will "rob students and their parents of essential income." Then, Wilson considers the views of high school teachers and contends that many of them feel that the new start time has "ruined every single school day." Wilson concludes by stating that high school students share the views of the parents and teachers, and reiterates his support for their demands.
Which of the following revisions would MOST improve the summary so it provides the reader a fuller scope of the article being summarized?
A. Add a description of the article’s organization and structure.
B. Add a topic sentence that summarizes the main argument of the article.
C. Add a quotation that shows the summary is accurate.
B
When is a source unfairly summarized?
If a student distorts the principal claim or reasons in a source.
What is the principal claim?
The main idea, feeling, or action the author wants the audience to believe, feel, or do.
Which answer choice shows accurate formatting for an in-text, parenthetical citation?
A. The author claims that there is “no chance that this idea will work” (Brown).
B. The author claims that there is “no chance that this idea will work (Brown).”
C. Jordan Brown claims that there is “no chance that this idea will work” (Brown).
D. The author claims that there is “no chance that this idea will work.” (Brown)
A
What is the BIGGEST difference between an informational source and a Viewpoint/Opinion source?
Informational sources help me understand the controversy.
Viewpoint sources help me understand what people believe or argue about the controversy
Use the passage below to answer the question about complete summary.
In her opinion article, Jane Doe says Congress must vote “yes” on the new proposition; she says, “a vote no is a step backward.” The country has taken steps toward supporting the proposition. For example, in the past five years, Congress passed three bills related to these issues and several prominent Americans have spoken out in favor of it, as Doe points out in her article. Doe also says this might seem like a local issue, but it can have a “global impact.” Through surveys, poll statistics, and personal stories, the article shows other countries have been affected by similar issues. For example, Doe shares that 80% of countries surveyed agree with a “yes” vote on this issue. At the end of the article, Doe says again how important it is to act now: “if Congress fails to vote yes, the country will not recover.”
Which of the following sentences from the passage you just read can reasonably be identified as stating the author’s PRINCIPAL CLAIM?
A. In her opinion article, Jane Doe says Congress must vote “yes” on the new proposition; she says, “a vote no is a step backward.”
B. Doe also says this might seem like a local issue, but it can have a “global impact.
C. ”Through surveys, poll statistics, and personal stories, the article shows other countries have been affected by similar issues.
D. The country has taken steps toward supporting the proposition.
A
What percentage is the Research and Summary Skills worth toward your UT College grade?
10%
“What specific information proves or supports the writer's point?”
Evidence