>>But if your presentation on the paragraph had included these words outside of the quote or a reference to it, you probably wouldn't have gotten an A.
>
>You mean if I had used them profanely? Poooooooossibly, but I doubt the teacher would punish the award for my acedemic ability because I misused a word. I could see getting detention or a supension or something to punish my behavioral record, but they aren't gonna throw away a great presentation if I let it slip that "There's a shit load of coal in Africa"

My thinking is that you got the A not just for the content, but for the manner of presentation, since it was an oral presentation. Similarly, in a written paper, your grade depends not just on what you say, but how you say - grammar, spelling, etc.

Tamar