Answer:
The answer is,
a. Jerome is ethical because he cited his sources and used them to develop his own slant on the topic.
Explanation:
When writing an essay, speech or any form of research-based writing, crediting and citing of sources is very important.
It is understood that research will be made using other people's work but it becomes plagiarism when other sources are used without citing them.
In Jerome's case, he had a speech to prepare for. He did some research and found sources that he could use.
What made him ethical is: he didn't just lift the contents verbatim and used in his speech. He got from sources, blended the ideas from those sources into his own perspective, and during his presentation, cited the sources he used.
By doing this, he ensured he stayed ethical.