Final answer:
In MLA formatting, shorter works are placed in quotation marks, while longer works are in italics, making the correct answer d) Shorter; quotation marks; longer; italics.
Step-by-step explanation:
In MLA formatting, shorter works should be placed in quotation marks, and longer works or containers should be formatted in italics. Therefore, the correct answer is d) Shorter; quotation marks; longer; italics. It is important to properly format titles in your writing to follow the guidelines of the MLA style. For example, the title of a poem would be enclosed in quotation marks, while a book title would be italicized. Similarly, when citing sources, use quotation marks to indicate shorter works such as articles, and italics for entire books or journals.