What term is used to cite or quote a reference in an MLA paper?

• A. Citation
• B. Bibliography
• C. Footnote
• D. Index

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is understanding what you create when you reference a source within your writing. In MLA style, the term for that in-text reference is a citation. When you quote or paraphrase someone else, you add a brief parenthetical or narrative cue—like (Smith 23) or “Smith argues that …”—that points readers to the full entry on your Works Cited page. The Works Cited page at the end provides the complete bibliographic details for each source you cited.

Footnotes exist in some styles for extra notes or occasional source notes, but they’re not the standard way MLA handles in-text references. An index is unrelated to citing sources; it’s a list of topics or terms with page numbers.