Final answer:
In MLA style, the date of access (option 2)is the optional detail in a website citation. Other elements like the website title, URL, and organization name are essential. The date of access can indicate the specific version of an online source that was consulted.
Step-by-step explanation:
When citing a website in MLA style, certain details may be considered necessary or optional based on the guidelines provided by the MLA Handbook. In this context, the title of the website, URL, and name of the organization are usually considered essential components to enable the reader to find the source. However, according to the latest MLA style guidelines, the date of access is optional; although not required, it can be included to show which version of the online source was consulted.
Furthermore, per MLA format, sources should be listed in alphabetical order based on the author's last name, and specific details such as day, month, and year of publication should be provided when available. For works with no author, the title should be used for alphabetizing. In addition to being optional, the date of access, when included, should appear at the end of the citation entry.
Therefore, when evaluating the components of a website citation in MLA style, the optional detail, according to MLA guidelines, would be the date of access, and one should choose any one option mentioned in the question accordingly to comply with academic standards. Mentioning the correct option in the final answer is essential for clarity, so the optional detail is the date of access (option 2).