Which strategy best integrates evidence in a HiSET essay?

• A. Quote extensively with no attribution.
• B. Paraphrase only with no quotes.
• C. Use a mix of paraphrase and occasional quotes, with explanations and proper attribution.
• D. Summarize all evidence in one paragraph.

Answer: (C)

Integrating evidence in a HiSET essay means weaving source material into your argument in a way that shows you can interpret, connect, and support your own claim. The best approach is a careful mix of paraphrase and occasional quotes, with explanations that clearly spell out how each piece of evidence backs your point, and with proper attribution to the source. Paraphrase demonstrates your understanding and lets you tailor information to fit your argument, while occasional quotes preserve exact wording when precision matters—followed by a careful explanation of what those words mean for your claim. Attribution keeps the source's origin clear and helps avoid plagiarism, and the explanations tie the evidence directly to your thesis so readers see the logical connection. Other approaches fall short because quoting extensively without attribution weakens credibility and risks plagiarism, paraphrasing alone can miss nuance or misrepresent the source, and summarizing everything in one paragraph fails to show how each piece of evidence supports specific parts of your argument.