Which bracketed excerpt correctly represents the quoted portion from the passage about school quality?

• A. attention to [school quality] when deciding
• B. attention to school quality when deciding
• C. attention to [school quality] while deciding
• D. attention to [school quality] when deciding where to live

Answer: (A)

Quoting and bracket usage: brackets are used to show the exact words taken from a source within your own sentence. Here, the phrase from the passage is “school quality,” so putting it in brackets signals that those are the exact words quoted, while the surrounding wording is your editing. This keeps the quoted portion precise and clearly distinguished from the rest of the sentence.

Using the form with the bracketed phrase followed by “when deciding” fits naturally and specifies the moment of decision. “While deciding” would shift the nuance to something happening concurrently, which isn’t as appropriate for indicating a specific point in time. Adding “where to live” would extend the quote beyond the intended fragment, altering the scope of what’s quoted.