Final answer:
The correct answer is C, stating that the source and page number should be provided for all direct quotations. It is important to accurately use quotation marks and provide proper context within the essay. Long quotations should be formatted as block quotes and used sparingly.
Step-by-step explanation:
Of the options provided regarding essential elements for all direct quotations, the correct answer is C. The source and page number should be provided for all direct quotations. This is crucial for proper citation and to allow readers to locate the original source material for verification or further reading. Direct quotations need to be accurate and include quotation marks to signify the exact words of the original author or speaker. It is also important to introduce quotations with a signal phrase to provide context and integrate them smoothly into your essay.
When dealing with long quotations, typically those over four lines, a block quote format is used, which is generally indented and presented without quotation marks. However, lengthy direct quotations should be used sparingly, as overuse can overshadow the writer's own voice and argument. For block quotations, it is standard to double-space the text, not single-space, as option A mistakenly suggests.
Quotation marks are indeed required for direct quotations, contrary to option B, and paraphrasing is not typically used for direct quotations, as the point of a direct quote is to use the author's exact words, thus option D is also incorrect. While quotations should be selected carefully and integrated effectively into the text, they should not be paraphrased if the intention is to use the original phrasing.