Plagiarism is presenting another person’s words or ideas as one’s own, without giving that person credit. Which of the following situations is the best example of plagiarism?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Karan copies three paragraphs from a magazine article into his school project and hands it in under his own name, without mentioning the article.
Plagiarism has two parts: a person uses another person’s words or ideas, and gives that person no credit, so the work looks like his or her own.
In Option (2) Karan uses paragraphs from a magazine article, hands them in under his own name and does not mention the article. Both parts are present.
Why the other options are incorrect
Option (1) In her essay, Divya quotes four lines of a poem inside quotation marks and gives the poet’s name below them. — Incorrect. Divya gives the poet credit, so she does not pass the lines off as her own.
Option (3) Working separately, two students reach the same answer to a maths problem. — Incorrect. Each student uses his or her own work; nobody presents another person’s words or ideas.
Option (4) Arjun reads a book on birds and writes a report on it that names the book and its author. — Incorrect. Arjun names the book and its author, so credit is given.