Question

which periodical citation is formatted correctly?

cowell, alan. new york times. \mandela: man, legend and symbol of resistance.\ 5 sept. 1985: a14. print.
cowell, alan. \mandela: man, legend and symbol of resistance.\ new york times 5 sept. 1985: a14. print.
\mandela: man, legend and symbol of resistance.\ cowell, alan. new york times 5 sept. 1985: a14. print.
cowell, alan. \mandela: man, legend and symbol of resistance.\ 5 sept. 1985: a14. print. new york times.

Explanation:

Identify standard MLA citation rules

MLA style requires specific ordering for periodical citations.
The standard format is: Author Last, First. "Article Title." Periodical Title Day Month Year: Pages. Medium.

Analyze the first option

The first option places the newspaper title before the article title.
This violates the standard order of author, article, then periodical.

Analyze the second option

The second option follows: Author, "Article Title." Periodical Title Date Page. Medium.
This matches the standard MLA format for a newspaper article.

Analyze the third and fourth options

The third option starts with the article title instead of the author.
The fourth option places the periodical title at the very end.
Both of these violate standard citation structures.

Answer:

• (A) Cowell, Alan. New York Times. "Mandela: Man, Legend and Symbol of Resistance." 5 Sept. 1985: A14. Print.
• (B) Cowell, Alan. "Mandela: Man, Legend and Symbol of Resistance." New York Times 5 Sept. 1985: A14. Print. (Correct answer)
• (C) "Mandela: Man, Legend and Symbol of Resistance." Cowell, Alan. New York Times 5 Sept. 1985: A14. Print.
• (D) Cowell, Alan. "Mandela: Man, Legend and Symbol of Resistance." 5 Sept. 1985: A14. Print. New York Times.