Building a Source Base for a Long Essay · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Reading that carries a long essay

English · Writing Composition · ages 17-18
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. What goes into each entry of your working source list?

    • Full reference, tight summary, and use
    • The full text of the source, copied in whole
    • The author name only, with details added later

  2. Which source most strengthens your argument?

    • One that repeats what you already believe
    • One that is the easiest to reach online
    • Against you, read properly and answered

  3. A source that adds nothing to your question should stay because it was easy to find.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. Which sentence weaves a quote well?

    • As one historian puts it, 'turnout fell by half' (exact page cited), which suggests the reform missed its audience.
    • A whole paragraph quoted at length, with no comment of your own after it.
    • A short quote dropped in with no page and no comment.

  5. You have three evenings for reading. Your plan lists facts you lack and context your reader needs. What do you do first?

    • Search the open web for anything that mentions your topic
    • Mine your best sources' reading lists, ask your teacher, try the library catalogue
    • Collect everything you find and sort it out later

  6. You should start your bibliography the night before the deadline, once you know what you used.

    Circle one:   True   False

  7. Two writers finish. One logged sources daily in one style. The other rebuilds the list at the end from memory. Whose references will a reader trust months later?

    • The rebuilder, because fresh eyes catch old errors
    • Both equally, since both read the same books
    • The daily logger, whose pages check out

  8. A paragraph ends with a long quote and no comment from you. What is wrong?

    • Nothing. Long quotes prove wide reading.
    • The quote speaks for you. Shorten it, introduce it, and add your conclusion.
    • The wording around the quote is too plain.
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Reading that carries a long essay W1-mt_d1WQaNVDuN-s1

  1. Full reference, tight summary, and use · Reference plus summary plus use turns a pile of finds into a plan.
  2. Against you, read properly and answered · A challenger you answer makes your case strong, while easy agreement adds little.
  3. False · Cut it. Every survivor must earn its place against your argument.
  4. As one historian puts it, 'turnout fell by half' (exact page cited), which suggests the reform missed its audience. · Short quote, signal phrase, exact page, plus your own conclusion. That is the full pattern.
  5. Mine your best sources' reading lists, ask your teacher, try the library catalogue · Build outward from trust, guided by your plan, before touching the open web.
  6. False · Log each source the day you use it. Late rebuilding is painful and sloppy.
  7. The daily logger, whose pages check out · Daily logging in one style keeps every page findable months later.
  8. The quote speaks for you. Shorten it, introduce it, and add your conclusion. · Quotes support your points, never make them for you. Keep them short and followed by your take.
Worksheet · LightMySky