Use this paragraph as a reference to answer the question below. The boldfaced phrase is used as a direct quote in the question. “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages . . .” If you have heard these words while attending a circus, they were probably spoken by the ringmaster. It is the ringmaster’s job to introduce all of the circus acts and to guide the audience through the show. Some ringmasters also perform in one or two of the acts, but most ringmasters stay on the sidelines where they can direct your attention to a certain area of the stage. Another important job of the ringmaster is to make sure the show goes on—that it seems to be running smoothly, even if an act is late getting to the stage. If there is a problem, the ringmaster is supposed to fill the time with jokes and announcements.

Which of these sentences uses punctuation correctly to show that guides the audience through is a direct quote?

According to the article, the ringmaster guides the audience through the circus.

“According to the article, the ringmaster guides the audience through the circus.

According to the article, the ringmaster “guides the audience through the circus.”

According to the article, the ringmaster “guides the audience through” the circus.