Judge a source, then cite it in MLA or APA
Grade 9 Reading Worksheet
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
Reading Tree Rings
A Field Guide (book excerpt)
Source line: Book by Tomas J. Halvorsen, a forest scientist who taught at Coldwater State University for thirty years. Title on the cover: Reading Tree Rings: A Field Guide. Publisher: Northbank Press, 2022. This excerpt is from page 18.[1] A tree trunk grows wider each year by adding a new layer of wood just beneath its bark. [2] In places with cold winters and warm summers, that growth starts and stops with the seasons, so each year leaves behind a single ring. [3] The wood that forms in spring grows quickly and looks pale, while the wood that forms in late summer is denser and darker. [4] The sharp line where dark summer wood meets the next spring's pale wood marks the boundary between one year and the next.
[5] Counting those boundaries from the bark inward gives the age of the tree, as long as the sample reaches the very center. [6] The width of each ring tells a second story, because a tree grows more in a wet, mild year than in a dry or very cold one. [7] A run of thin rings often points to a drought, and a sudden wide ring may show that a neighboring tree fell and let in more light. [8] Since trees in the same region feel the same weather, their rings form patterns of wide and narrow years that match from tree to tree.
[9] Scientists use these matching patterns to date old wooden beams, by lining up the rings in a beam with the rings of trees whose ages are known. [10] This method, called cross-dating, was developed in the early 1900s by the astronomer A. E. Douglass, who hoped tree rings would reveal patterns in past climate. [11] A field scientist does not need to cut a tree down to read its rings. [12] Instead, a thin hollow tool called an increment borer pulls out a core no wider than a pencil, and the small hole does little harm to a healthy tree.
Ari is writing a science paper in APA style. Which reference-list entry for this book follows APA 7? (Stars mark italics.)
- Halvorsen, T. J. (2022). *Reading tree rings: A field guide*. Northbank Press.
- Halvorsen, T. J. *Reading tree rings: A field guide*. Northbank Press, 2022.
- Halvorsen, Tomas J. (2022). *Reading tree rings: A field guide*. Northbank Press.
- Halvorsen, T. J. (2022). Reading tree rings: A field guide. *Northbank Press*.
Bo quotes part of sentence [8] in an APA paper. Which sentence quotes and cites the book correctly?
- Tree rings from one region line up because “trees in the same region feel the same weather” (Halvorsen, 2022, p. 18).
- As Halvorsen explains, tree rings from one region line up because “trees in the same region feel the same weather” (p. 18).
- Tree rings from one region line up because “trees in the same region feel the same weather” (Halvorsen 18).
- Halvorsen (2022) explains that tree rings from one region line up because “trees in the same region feel the same weather.”
Esme wants to use the idea in sentence [12] in an APA paper. Which Note line uses the source fairly?
- Instead, a thin hollow tool called an increment borer pulls out a core no wider than a pencil, and the small hole does little harm to a healthy tree (Halvorsen, 2022).
- Using a hollow tool called an increment borer, a scientist can remove a core about as thin as a pencil, leaving only a small hole in a healthy tree (Halvorsen, 2022).
- Instead, a narrow hollow tool called an increment borer draws out a core no thicker than a pencil, and the little hole does small harm to a healthy tree (Halvorsen, 2022).
- Using a hollow tool called an increment borer, a scientist can remove a core about as thin as a pencil, leaving only a small hole in a healthy tree.
Use this
Road Salt and the Health of Roadside Maples (journal article excerpt)
Source line: Journal article by Nia Okafor and Sven Lind, soil scientists at Corwin State University. Title on the page: Road Salt and the Health of Roadside Maples. Journal: Journal of Northern Soils, volume 9, issue 4, 2021, pages 112–125. This excerpt is from page 116.[1] Each winter, road crews in cold regions spread rock salt on highways and streets, because salt lowers the temperature at which water freezes. [2] The salt keeps roads safer for drivers, but much of it does not stay on the pavement. [3] Passing cars throw salty slush onto the roadside, and melting snow carries dissolved salt into the soil where trees take up water. [4] Rock salt is mostly sodium chloride, and when trees absorb too much chloride, the edges of their leaves turn brown and dry in summer.
[5] To measure how far this damage reaches, we studied 240 sugar maples growing at different distances from salted roads in Corwin County. [6] We sampled the soil around each tree in April and examined its leaves in August of the same year. [7] Trees within 10 meters of a salted road had nearly four times as much chloride in their leaves as trees growing more than 50 meters away. [8] Brown leaf edges appeared on 58 percent of the closest trees but on 9 percent of the distant ones. [9] Trees on the downhill side of a road were more affected than trees on the uphill side, which suggests that running meltwater carries much of the salt. [10] Maples sheltered by a row of shrubs showed less damage, possibly because the shrubs caught the spray before it reached them.
[11] These findings do not mean that towns should stop salting roads, since icy roads put drivers at real risk. [12] Instead, they point to simple steps, such as planting salt-tolerant shrubs along roadsides and spreading no more salt than the weather requires.
Kira quotes part of sentence [9] in an APA paper and names both authors in the sentence. Which version is correct?
- Okafor and Lind found more damage downhill, which “suggests that running meltwater carries much of the salt” (p. 116).
- Okafor and Lind (2021) found more damage downhill, which “suggests that running meltwater carries much of the salt” (p. 116).
- The damage was worse downhill, which “suggests that running meltwater carries much of the salt” (Okafor and Lind 116).
- Okafor and Lind (2021) found more damage on the downhill side of roads, which “suggests that running meltwater carries much of the salt.”
Luz wants to report the finding in sentence [7] in an APA paper. Which Note line uses the article fairly?
- Okafor and Lind (2021) found that trees within 10 meters of a salted street had almost four times as much chloride in their leaves as trees growing over 50 meters away.
- Okafor and Lind (2021) found that trees within 10 meters of a salted road had nearly four times as much chloride in their leaves as trees growing more than 50 meters away.
- Maples growing no more than 10 meters from a salted road carried almost four times the leaf chloride of maples more than 50 meters away.
- According to Okafor and Lind (2021), maples growing no more than 10 meters from a salted road carried almost four times the leaf chloride of maples more than 50 meters away.
Seen at Night
The Brightline Guide to Safer Cycling (book excerpt)
Source line: Book by Lena Brandt, founder of Brightline Lights, a company that makes bicycle lights. Title on the cover: Seen at Night: The Brightline Guide to Safer Cycling. Publisher: Brightline Lights, 2020. This excerpt is from page 9.[1] Most people who ride a bicycle after dark believe that a driver will see them simply because they can see the road ahead. [2] Unfortunately, a light that helps a rider see is not always a light that helps a driver notice the rider. [3] A driver's eyes are drawn to things that move, flash or stand out from the background, and a single steady lamp can blend into streetlights and shop signs. [4] For this reason, safety groups advise riders to use a white light in front, a red light in back, and reflectors on the wheels and pedals.
[5] Reflectors work by sending light from a car's headlights straight back toward the driver, which makes them look very bright from the driver's seat. [6] Pedal reflectors are especially useful, because their up-and-down motion tells a driver at once that the shape ahead is a person on a bike. [7] Clothing matters as well, since dark jackets disappear at night, while bright colors and reflective strips can be seen from much farther away. [8] Lights also help during the day, when a flashing lamp can catch a driver's eye on a road full of sunlight and shadows.
[9] In tests at our own workshop, the Brightline Beacon could be seen from more than a mile away on a clear night. [10] Our riders reported that drivers gave them more room on the road after they switched to Brightline lamps. [11] Whatever lights a rider chooses, they should be checked before each trip, because a dead battery gives no help at all. [12] A minute spent on a quick check in the driveway can make the difference between being noticed and being missed.
Milo lists this book in APA style. Its title has a company name in it. Which entry follows APA 7? (Stars mark italics.)
- Brandt, L. (2020). *Seen at night: The Brightline guide to safer cycling*. Brightline Lights.
- Brandt, L. *Seen at night: The Brightline guide to safer cycling*. Brightline Lights, 2020.
- Brandt, Lena. (2020). *Seen at night: The Brightline guide to safer cycling*. Brightline Lights.
- Brandt, L. (2020). Seen at night: The Brightline guide to safer cycling. *Brightline Lights*.
Noah quotes part of sentence [5] in an APA paper. Which sentence quotes and cites the book correctly?
- Brandt (2020) explains that reflectors on a bicycle work by “sending light from a car's headlights straight back toward the driver.”
- Reflectors on a bicycle work by “sending light from a car's headlights straight back toward the driver” (Brandt 9).
- Brandt (2020) explains that reflectors work by “sending light from a car's headlights straight back toward the driver” (p. 9).
- Brandt explains that reflectors work by “sending light from a car's headlights straight back toward the driver” (p. 9).
Pia wants to use the advice in sentence [7] in an APA paper. Which Note line uses the book fairly?
- Brandt (2020) notes that dark coats are hard to spot after sunset, but light colors and reflective trim stay visible at a much greater distance.
- Dark coats are hard to spot after sunset, but light colors and reflective trim stay visible at a much greater distance.
- Brandt (2020) notes that dark jackets disappear at night, while bright colors and reflective strips can be seen from much farther away.
- Brandt (2020) notes that dark jackets vanish at night, while bright colors and reflective strips can be seen from much farther off.
Use this
Cell Phones in Three Rural High Schools (journal article excerpt)
Source line: Journal article by Dana M. Ferris, an education researcher at Pell Valley College. Title on the page: Cell Phones in Three Rural High Schools. Journal: Rural Education Review, volume 11, issue 2, 2004, pages 45–58. This excerpt is from page 50.[1] In the fall of 2003, we surveyed 412 students at three high schools in the farming counties of the Pell Valley. [2] The survey asked whether each student owned a cell phone, how the student used it, and whether the school's rules on phones seemed fair. [3] Thirty-eight percent of the students reported owning a phone, and most of those phones had been bought by parents for emergencies. [4] Students who lived far from town were more likely to own one, since a long bus ride or a late practice could leave them without a way to call home.
[5] Most owners said that they used their phones for short calls to family, and fewer than one in five said they sent text messages daily. [6] The three schools required phones to be switched off and kept in lockers during class. [7] A majority of students called this rule fair, although many wished they could check for messages at lunch. [8] Teachers, in separate interviews, said that phones had caused few problems in class, because so few students carried them. [9] Several teachers predicted that this would change as phones became cheaper and more common.
[10] These findings describe one region at one moment, and the numbers may not hold for cities or for later years. [11] Still, they suggest that, in rural areas, families first saw phones as a safety tool rather than a toy. [12] Schools writing new phone rules may want to keep that purpose in mind as more students begin to carry them.
Ren lists this 2004 journal article in APA style. Which reference-list entry follows APA 7? (Stars mark italics.)
- Ferris, D. M. Cell phones in three rural high schools. *Rural Education Review*, *11*(2), 45–58, 2004.
- Ferris, D. M. (2004). *Cell phones in three rural high schools*. Rural Education Review, 11(2), 45–58.
- Ferris, Dana M. (2004). Cell phones in three rural high schools. *Rural Education Review*, *11*(2), 45–58.
- Ferris, D. M. (2004). Cell phones in three rural high schools. *Rural Education Review*, *11*(2), 45–58.
Tala quotes part of sentence [11] in an APA paper. Which sentence quotes and cites the article correctly?
- Ferris suggests that in rural areas “families first saw phones as a safety tool rather than a toy” (p. 50).
- In rural areas, the survey suggests, “families first saw phones as a safety tool rather than a toy” (Ferris, 2004, p. 50).
- Ferris (2004) suggests that, in the rural areas surveyed, “families first saw phones as a safety tool rather than a toy.”
- In rural areas, the survey suggests, “families first saw phones as a safety tool rather than a toy” (Ferris 50).
