ANSWER KEY

Directions:

Read both paragraphs. The first one is a direct quote from an article. The second
paragraph is a student’s attempt at paraphrasing. You need to decide –

Is the second paragraph plagiarism? Why or why not?

1.

“Of the more than 1000 bicycling deaths each year, three-fourths are caused by head
injuries. Half of those killed are school-age children. One study concluded that wearing a
bike helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by 85 percent. In an accident, a bike
helmet absorbs the shock and cushions the head.”

From "Bike Helmets: Unused Lifesavers," Consumer Reports (May 1990): 348.

Student’s Attempt:

The use of a helmet is the key to reducing bicycling fatalities, which are due to head
injuries 75% of the time. By cushioning the head upon impact, a helmet can reduce
accidental injury by as much as 85%, saving the lives of hundreds of victims annually,
half of whom are school children ("Bike Helmets" 348).

YOU BE THE JUDGE:

Answer: This is NOT plagiarism - it is a good paraphrase of the paragraph about bike
helmets. It has the same level of detail – including the fact that 75% of bike deaths are
caused by head injuries, that helmets can reduce injury by 85% and that half of these
accidents happen to school-aged children – so always wear a helmet!
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2.

While the Sears Tower is arguably the greatest achievement in skyscraper engineering
so far, it's unlikely that architects and engineers have abandoned the quest for the
world's tallest building. The question is: Just how high can a building go? Structural
engineer William LeMessurier has designed a skyscraper nearly one-half mile high, twice
as tall as the Sears Tower. And architect Robert Sobel claims that existing technology
could produce a 500-story building.

From Ron Bachman, "Reaching for the Sky." Dial (May 1990): 15.

Student’s Attempt:

How much higher skyscrapers of the future will rise than the present world marvel, the
Sears Tower, is unknown. However, the design of one twice as tall is already on the
boards, and an architect, Robert Sobel, thinks we currently have sufficient know-how to
build a skyscraper with over 500 stories (Bachman 15).

YOU BE THE JUDGE:

Answer: This is NOT plagiarism – the student mentions the Sears Tower as the greatest
achievement in skyscraper engineering, that there is already a skyscraper that is ½ mile high,
which is twice as tall as the Sears Tower, and that one architect claims we have the technology
to build a skyscraper over 500 stories. It does get a little wordy – so the student could work on
improving his sentence formation!
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3.

The strike officially began on May 29, and on June 1 the manufacturers met publicly to
plan their resistance. Their strategies were carried out on two fronts. They pressured the
proprietors into holding out indefinitely by refusing to send new collars and cuffs to any
laundry. Also the manufacturers attempted to undermine directly the union’s efforts to
weather the strike. They tried to create a negative image of the union through the press,
which they virtually controlled. They prevented a few collar manufacturers in other cities
from patronizing the unions’ cooperative laundry even though it claimed it could provide
the same services for 25 percent less. Under these circumstances, the collar ironers’
tactics were much less useful.

From Carole Turbin, "And We are Nothing But Women: Irish Working Women in Troy,"
pp. 225-26 in Women of America.

Student’s Attempt:

The strike began on May 29, and on June 1st the manufacturers met in public to plan
their response. They had two strategies. They pressured the owners into holding out for
an indefinite period of time by refusing to send new collars and cuffs to any laundry, and
they attempted to undermine directly the union’s efforts to weather the strike. They also
tried to create a negative image of the union through the newspapers, which they
basically controlled. They prevented a few collar manufacturers in other cities from using
the unions’ cooperative laundry even though it could provide the same services for
25%less. Because of these these circumstances, the collar ironers’ tactics were almost
useless (Turbine 225).

YOU BE THE JUDGE:

Answer: This IS plagiarism – you can figure this out due to the limited changes in sentence
structure and wording. The student only changed a few words (publicly – in public; resistance –
response; proprietors – owners; indefinitely – indefinite period; virtually – basically; press –
newspapers; less useful – useless). There is NO change in the arrangement of sentences, and
this is NOT in the student’s own words. He/she kept some almost verbatim phrasing like
“attempted to undermine directly the union’s efforts to weather the strike” and “They prevented
a few collar manufacturers in other cities from using the unions’ cooperative laundry even
though it could provide the same services for 25% less.“
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4.

Shortly after the two rogues, who pass themselves off as a duke and a king, invade the
raft of Huck and Jim, they decide to raise funds by performing scenes from
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Richard III. That the presentation of Shakespeare
in small Mississippi towns could be conceived of as potentially lucrative tells us much
about the position of Shakespeare in the nineteenth century.

From Lawrence Levine, Highbrow, Lowbrow: The Emergence of a Cultural Hierarchy in

America (Cambridge, 1986), p. 10

Student’s Attempt:

Soon after the two thieves, who pretend they are a king and a duke, capture Huck and
Jim’s raft, they try to make money by putting on two Shakespeare plays (Romeo and
Juliet and Richard III). Because the production of Shakespeare in tiny Southern towns is
seen as possibly profitable, we learn a lot about the status of Shakespeare before the
twentieth century (Levine 10).

YOU BE THE JUDGE:

Answer: This IS plagiarism – again, the student tries to change a few words and
attempts to change the last sentence into his own words – but it is not enough to be
considered a good paraphrase. The student did not change the sentence structure, and
just replaced a few words here and there (Shortly – soon; rogues – thieves; pass off –
pretend; invade – capture; raise funds – make money; presentation – production;
lucrative – profitable; position status). You can tell that the student does not truly
understand the information he or she is trying to paraphrase.