Which one of the following is correct (MLA) ?

The writer continues, "The second question, however, was a bit more esoteric."

The writer continues, The second question, however, was a bit more esoteric: "Are American women usurping males in the world, and are they too dominant?"

The writer continues, The second question, however, was a bit more esoteric: "Are American women usurping males in the world, and are they too dominant?" (Peril 281).

The writer continues, "The second question, however, was a bit more esoteric: 'Are American women usurping males in the world, and are they too dominant?'" (Peril 281).

The writer continues, "The second question, however, was a bit more esoteric: 'Are American women usurping males in the world, and are they too dominant?'" (Peril 281).

This is the correct MLA format for this direct quotation. The parenthetical citation must include the author's last name and the location of the direct quote. Since this quotation does not have any signal words or phrases before the quotation that identify the author, the author's last name must be included in parentheses after the quote. Also, since the source is a paginated text, the page number from which the direct quote was taken must also be noted. The parenthetical citation needs to be before the end punctuation of the sentence to show that it connects to the direct quotation. The quotation marks must be around the text that is directly taken from the source, which includes the information about the question being esoteric.