Judge a source, then cite it in MLA or APA

Grade 9 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   The Weighing Kitchen

   Why Bakers Use Grams (book excerpt)
   Source line: Book by Delia Marsh, a pastry chef who teaches evening baking classes and owns Marsh Scales, a company that sells kitchen scales. Publisher: Larkspur Books, 2021. The book was a top seller in its first year. Sentences [1] to [6] are on page 14, and sentences [7] to [12] are on page 15.

   [1] Most home cooks in the United States measure flour with a cup, but a cup measures the space that the flour fills, not the amount of flour itself. [2] Flour is light and fluffy, so the same cup can hold very different amounts depending on how the baker fills it. [3] When flour is scooped straight from the bag, the edge of the cup packs it down, and more flour fits inside. [4] When it is spooned in gently and leveled with a knife, the cup holds less, because pockets of air stay trapped between the tiny grains. [5] To see how large the difference could be, I asked ten students in one of my evening classes to fill a cup in their usual way. [6] Their cups of flour weighed anywhere from 121 to 158 grams, a gap of 37 grams between the lightest cup and the heaviest.

   [7] A difference that large is enough to turn a soft, tender cake into a dry, crumbly one, even when every other step is done with care. [8] A kitchen scale solves the problem, because a gram of flour is a gram no matter how loosely or tightly it is packed. [9] Professional bakers have worked by weight for generations, and many cookbooks printed outside the United States list their ingredients in grams. [10] Weighing also saves time and dishes, since a baker can set one bowl on the scale and add each ingredient to it in turn. [11] The scale is simply reset to zero after each addition, so there is no pile of sticky measuring cups to wash afterward. [12] For anyone who wants cakes and breads to come out the same way every time, a scale is the most useful tool in the kitchen.

2. 1.

   Ari is writing a paper in MLA style. Which works-cited entry for this book follows MLA 9? (Stars mark italics.)

   • Marsh, Delia. *The Weighing Kitchen: Why Bakers Use Grams*. Larkspur Books, 2021.
   • Marsh, Delia. *The Weighing Kitchen: Why Bakers Use Grams*. 2021, Larkspur Books.
   • Delia Marsh. *The Weighing Kitchen: Why Bakers Use Grams*. Larkspur Books, 2021.
   • Marsh, Delia. “The Weighing Kitchen: Why Bakers Use Grams.” Larkspur Books, 2021.
3. 2.

   Bo quotes sentence [8] in an MLA paper. The source line says which page it is on. Which sentence quotes and cites it correctly?

   • Marsh points out that “a gram of flour is a gram no matter how loosely or tightly it is packed” (2021, p. 15).
   • Marsh points out that “a gram of flour weighs the same no matter how loosely or tightly it is packed” (15).
   • Marsh points out that “a gram of flour is a gram no matter how loosely or tightly it is packed.” (15)
   • Marsh points out that “a gram of flour is a gram no matter how loosely or tightly it is packed” (15).

4. Use this

   Counting the Water in a Rain Barrel (web page)
   Source line: Web page by Owen Pratt, a water specialist at the Harlow County Extension Office, which gives free advice and sells no products. Website: Backyard Water Notes. Publisher: Harlow County Extension Office. Posted 14 May 2024 at https://www.example.org/backyard-water/rain-barrels. The page has been shared 3,200 times. It has no page numbers.

   [1] A rain barrel is a large container that sits under a downspout and catches the water that runs off a roof during a storm. [2] Many homeowners are surprised by how quickly a barrel fills, because a roof collects far more rain than most people expect. [3] Each inch of rain that falls on 1,000 square feet of roof produces roughly 620 gallons of water. [4] Since a typical rain barrel holds about 55 gallons, a single moderate storm can fill it many times over. [5] For that reason, the extension office suggests that families connect two or three barrels or send the overflow toward a garden bed.

   [6] The stored water is meant for plants, lawns and washing tools, and it should not be used for drinking or cooking. [7] Roofs collect dust, leaves and droppings from birds, so the water can carry germs and small bits of roofing material. [8] A tight lid with a fine screen keeps out leaves and insects, and it also keeps small children and pets away from the water.

   [9] In our county's three summer months, a barrel that is emptied onto a garden after each storm can supply several hundred gallons. [10] That water would otherwise rush into storm drains, carrying loose soil and lawn chemicals toward the river. [11] A barrel will not supply a whole household, but it can lower the amount of tap water used outdoors during the driest weeks. [12] Before buying a barrel, check local rules, because a few towns limit how rainwater may be collected and stored.

5. 3.

   Which works-cited entry gives this web page in MLA 9 style? (Stars mark italics.)

   • Owen Pratt. “Counting the Water in a Rain Barrel.” *Backyard Water Notes*, Harlow County Extension Office, 14 May 2024, www.example.org/backyard-water/rain-barrels.
   • Pratt, Owen. “Counting the Water in a Rain Barrel.” Harlow County Extension Office, *Backyard Water Notes*, 14 May 2024, www.example.org/backyard-water/rain-barrels.
   • Pratt, Owen. *Counting the Water in a Rain Barrel*. *Backyard Water Notes*, Harlow County Extension Office, 14 May 2024, www.example.org/backyard-water/rain-barrels.
   • Pratt, Owen. “Counting the Water in a Rain Barrel.” *Backyard Water Notes*, Harlow County Extension Office, 14 May 2024, www.example.org/backyard-water/rain-barrels.
6. 4.

   Kira quotes all of sentence [3] in an MLA paper. The page has no page numbers. Which sentence quotes and cites it correctly?

   • “Each inch of rain that falls on 1,000 square feet of roof produces roughly 620 gallons of water” (Pratt).
   • “Each inch of rain that falls on 1,000 square feet of roof produces roughly 620 gallons of water.” (Pratt)
   • “Each inch of rain on 1,000 square feet of roof produces about 620 gallons of water” (Pratt).
   • “Each inch of rain that falls on 1,000 square feet of roof produces roughly 620 gallons of water” (Pratt, 2024).

7. Use this

   Lunchroom Noise and Student Conversation (journal article excerpt)
   Source line: Journal article by Helen Castellano, a researcher who studies sound in school buildings at Ashgrove Technical Institute. Journal: Journal of School Building Studies, volume 14, issue 2, 2023, pages 33–41. Other researchers reviewed the article before it was printed, and the article states that the author has no ties to any company that sells sound panels. It was the journal's most-read article of 2023. This excerpt is from page 36.

   [1] Anyone who has eaten lunch in a crowded school cafeteria knows that the room can become remarkably loud within a few minutes. [2] This study measured sound levels in the cafeterias of three middle schools during every lunch period for four weeks. [3] Sound is measured in decibels, and because the scale rises in steps that multiply, a rise of 10 decibels sounds roughly twice as loud to most listeners. [4] At the start of lunch, the three rooms averaged 68 decibels, about the level of a busy restaurant. [5] By the twentieth minute, the average had climbed to 81 decibels, and several readings near the kitchen passed 85.

   [6] The cause appears to be a cycle that feeds on itself, which researchers call the Lombard effect. [7] As background noise grows, each speaker raises their voice to be heard, and the louder voices raise the background noise further. [8] Hard surfaces such as tile floors, painted block walls and bare ceilings make the problem worse, since they reflect sound back into the room instead of absorbing it.

   [9] In the second half of the study, one school hung soft panels on its walls and ceiling over a single weekend. [10] Over the next two weeks, its average reading at the twentieth minute fell to 74 decibels, while the other two schools stayed near 81. [11] Students at that school also reported, in a short survey, that they could hear the people at their own table more easily. [12] These results suggest that the surfaces of a room, and not just the number of students in it, help decide how loud lunch becomes.

8. 5.

   Milo needs this journal article on the works-cited page of an MLA paper. Which entry follows MLA 9? (Stars mark italics.)

   • Castellano, Helen. *Lunchroom Noise and Student Conversation*. *Journal of School Building Studies*, vol. 14, no. 2, 2023, pp. 33–41.
   • Castellano, Helen. “Lunchroom Noise and Student Conversation.” *Journal of School Building Studies*, vol. 14, no. 2, 2023, pp. 33–41.
   • Castellano, Helen. “Lunchroom Noise and Student Conversation.” *Journal of School Building Studies*, 2023, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 33–41.
   • Helen Castellano. “Lunchroom Noise and Student Conversation.” *Journal of School Building Studies*, vol. 14, no. 2, 2023, pp. 33–41.
9. 6.

   Noah quotes part of sentence [8] in an MLA paper. Which sentence quotes the article and cites the page from the source line correctly?

   • Castellano explains that hard surfaces “bounce sound back into the room instead of absorbing it” (36).
   • Castellano explains that hard surfaces “reflect sound back into the room instead of absorbing it” (36).
   • Castellano explains that hard surfaces “reflect sound back into the room instead of absorbing it.” (36)
   • Castellano explains that hard surfaces “reflect sound back into the room instead of absorbing it” (2023, p. 36).
10. 7.

    Pia wants to know whether soft wall panels make a school lunchroom quieter. Which Credibility line fits this article?

    • Strong for this question: it was the journal's most-read article of 2023, so its numbers must already be well tested.
    • Weak for this question: the writer is a cafeteria worker passing on what students said in one short survey.
    • Weak for this question: the researcher sells sound panels, so the article is really an advertisement for them.
    • Strong for this question: a researcher who studies school sound measured three rooms for weeks, and other researchers reviewed the work.

11. Use this

    Library Adds Evening Hours (newspaper article)
    Source line: Newspaper article by Marcus Bell, a staff reporter. Newspaper: Millbrook Ledger. Published online 9 March 2024 at https://www.example.com/ledger/library-hours. It was the paper's most-shared story that week. It has no page numbers.

    [1] Starting next month, the Millbrook Public Library will stay open until nine o'clock on weeknights, two hours later than its current closing time. [2] The change follows a survey that the library mailed to every household in town last fall. [3] Of the 1,240 residents who returned the survey, 61 percent said that the seven o'clock closing kept them from visiting during the week. [4] Many of those residents wrote that they work until six and need time to eat dinner before they can reach the library.

    [5] “We kept hearing from parents who wanted to bring their children after work, and we kept closing the doors on them,” said Rosa Lindqvist, the library director. [6] The longer hours will cost about $48,000 a year, mostly for the wages of two part-time staff members. [7] The town council approved the money in February after the library agreed to close one hour earlier on Saturdays. [8] Saturday visits have dropped over the past three years, according to the library's door counts, while weeknight requests have grown.

    [9] Some residents at the council meeting worried that the building would be nearly empty after eight o'clock. [10] Ms. Lindqvist answered that the library will count visitors every hour for the first six months and report the numbers to the council. [11] If fewer than 25 people use the building in the last hour on most nights, she said, the new schedule will be reviewed. [12] The homework help desk, which now closes at six, will also stay open until eight on Mondays through Thursdays.

12. 8.

    Ren is citing this online news article in MLA style. Which works-cited entry follows MLA 9? (Stars mark italics.)

    • Bell, Marcus. “Library Adds Evening Hours.” *Millbrook Ledger*, www.example.com/ledger/library-hours, 9 Mar. 2024.
    • Bell, Marcus. “Library Adds Evening Hours.” Millbrook Ledger, 9 Mar. 2024, www.example.com/ledger/library-hours.
    • Marcus Bell. “Library Adds Evening Hours.” *Millbrook Ledger*, 9 Mar. 2024, www.example.com/ledger/library-hours.
    • Bell, Marcus. “Library Adds Evening Hours.” *Millbrook Ledger*, 9 Mar. 2024, www.example.com/ledger/library-hours.
13. 9.

    Tala uses part of sentence [8] to explain the trade in an MLA paper. The article has no page numbers. Which sentence is correct?

    • The library had a reason to trade hours: “Saturday visits have dropped over the past three years” (Bell).
    • The library had a reason to trade hours: “Saturday visits have dropped over the past three years” (Bell, 2024).
    • The library had a reason to trade hours: “Saturday visits have dropped over the past three years.” (Bell)
    • The library had a reason to trade hours: “Saturday visits have dropped sharply over the past three years” (Bell).
14. 10.

    Zee wants to know why the town library changed its hours. Which Credibility line fits this newspaper article?

    • Strong for this question: it was the paper's most-shared story that week, so readers clearly found it accurate.
    • Weak for this question: the library director wrote the article to praise her own plan for longer hours.
    • Strong for this question: a staff reporter gives the survey numbers, the cost and the director's own explanation, and names each source.
    • Weak for this question: a newspaper earns money from its readers, so its report on the library cannot be trusted.