Rules for Writing About Literature and MLA Citation Practice Test
Practice test on literary analysis writing rules, MLA quotation and citation, and grammar priorities from the indexed material.
12 questions · pass mark 70% · try 5 free
1 Which tense should usually be used when writing about literature?
- Future tense
- Present tense
- Past tense
- Imperative mood
The material says to use present tense when writing about literature, except when describing earlier events within the story.
2 Formal literary analysis usually avoids first person unless the writing is an informal personal response.
- True
- False
The material advises avoiding first person in formal literary analysis unless the assignment is a personal response.
3 How should the title of a short story be formatted?
- Italicized
- Bolded
- In quotation marks
- Underlined only
The material states that titles of poems and short stories should be placed in quotation marks.
4 Which practices help avoid excessive summary in a literature essay?
Select all that apply
- Following the plot in exact order
- Focusing on one or two literary elements
- Assuming the audience has already read the work
- Retelling every major event
The material recommends assuming the audience has read the work and focusing on one or two literary elements rather than retelling the plot.
5 What is the best description of a “dumped” quote?
- A quotation integrated into your sentence
- A quotation introduced with analysis
- A quotation dropped into the paragraph without proper integration
- A quotation from a poem with line breaks marked
The material warns against dropping quotations into a paragraph without introducing and integrating them into your own sentence.
7 more questions in this test
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