Which of the following is an example of THEME?

Life is short; make the most of it.

Carry your computer with two hands at all times.

Cereal is the healthiest food you can eat.

You can severely break your leg while crossing the street.

The best definition of theme is...

The message the author is sending.

The attitude the author has towards the subject.

A word that summarizes the story.

Gina could not believe it. She had barely passed her science class again. She took the report card home and felt sad for days. Although she had done well in the other classes, science was just not her thing. "Mom, I need help," Gina said one day. "I have tried, but I can't get better in science." "I knew you were struggling, but I didn't know you were having such a hard time," Gina's mom said lovingly, "Of course, I will help you!" So, Gina spent two hours every day studying her science book. She asked her mom any question she had trouble with. Gina even stayed after class to learn more from her science teacher. Gina was surprised to know that she started understanding things better. When it was time for the next science exam, she felt ready. Before she knew it, Gina made a B on her science exam. What is the conflict?

Gina has a hard time understanding science.

Gina got a B on her science exam.

Gina and her mom don't get along.

Gina's teacher wasn't doing a good job teaching.

Gina could not believe it. She had barely passed her science class again. She took the report card home and felt sad for days. Although she had done well in the other classes, science was just not her thing. "Mom, I need help," Gina said one day. "I have tried, but I can't get better in science." "I knew you were struggling, but I didn't know you were having such a hard time," Gina's mom said lovingly, "Of course, I will help you!" So, Gina spent two hours every day studying her science book. She asked her mom any question she had trouble with. Gina even stayed after class to learn more from her science teacher. Gina was surprised to know that she started understanding things better. When it was time for the next science exam, she felt ready. Before she knew it, Gina made a B on her science exam. What best shows the theme of the story?

You can always get better at anything, if you put your mind to it.

Gina worked hard and improved her grade.

Gina could not believe it. She had barely passed her science class again. She took the report card home and felt sad for days. Although she had done well in the other classes, science was just not her thing. "Mom, I need help," Gina said one day. "I have tried, but I can't get better in science." "I knew you were struggling, but I didn't know you were having such a hard time," Gina's mom said lovingly, "Of course, I will help you!" So, Gina spent two hours every day studying her science book. She asked her mom any question she had trouble with. Gina even stayed after class to learn more from her science teacher. Gina was surprised to know that she started understanding things better. When it was time for the next science exam, she felt ready. Before she knew it, Gina made a B on her science exam. Check the evidence that supports the theme. (Choose 3)

"She asked her mom any question she had trouble with."

"Gina even stayed after class to learn more from her science teacher."

"Before she knew it, Gina made a B on her science exam."

"Gina's mom said lovingly, 'Of course, I will help you.'"

"She had barely passed her science class again. She took the report card home and felt sad for days."

Ali was the friendliest boy in town. He helped anyone who asked him for anything. Everyone smiled when they saw Ali riding his bicycle and selling newspapers. Little Ali was also popular in school. After all, who would not like a happy kid like Ali? He made friends everywhere he went. One morning, as Ali was on his newspaper route, he tripped over a rock. He got bruised and went home in a lot of pain. The doctors told him to stay home because he had broken a leg. Now, Ali was sad to miss school, but he was sure his friends would come visit him. Days went by and only Sam from across the street came to see Ali. Sam brought board games and even told Ali what was going on at school each day. Although Ali had been nice to everyone in school, only one person had cared about him. What is the theme of this story?

True friends are very hard to find.

Friends always forgive each other.

Real happiness is found at home.

Ali was the friendliest boy in town. He helped anyone who asked him for anything. Everyone smiled when they saw Ali riding his bicycle and selling newspapers. Little Ali was also popular in school. After all, who would not like a happy kid like Ali? He made friends everywhere he went. One morning, as Ali was on his newspaper route, he tripped over a rock. He got bruised and went home in a lot of pain. The doctors told him to stay home because he had broken a leg. Now, Ali was sad to miss school, but he was sure his friends would come visit him. Days went by and only Sam from across the street came to see Ali. Sam brought board games and even told Ali what was going on at school each day. Although Ali had been nice to everyone in school, only one person had cared about him. Check the evidence that best supports the theme. (Choose two)

"Days went by and only Sam from across the street came to see Ali."

"Although Ali had been nice to everyone at school, only one person cared about him."

"One morning, as Ali was on his newspaper route, he tripped over a rock."

"Ali was the friendliest boy in town"

You can get clues about a story's theme by... (Choose all that apply.)

Focusing on what matters to the protagonist

Focusing on patterns that occur across a text

Considering how a character, especially a main character, develops over the course of a text

Thinking about the conflict and what ideas are in conflict with each other

Looking at only a small piece of a text

Theme Practice

Authored by Ariel Warden

English

7th - 9th Grade

CCSS covered

Used 6K+ times

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About

This quiz focuses on literary theme analysis, specifically targeting middle school students at the 7th to 9th grade level. The questions systematically build students' understanding of theme as a universal life lesson or message that authors convey through their stories. Students need to distinguish between theme and other literary elements like central idea, topic, and conflict, while understanding that themes are complete statements rather than single words and that stories can contain multiple themes. The quiz requires students to analyze character development, identify textual evidence that supports thematic interpretations, and apply their understanding to short passages about characters like Gina struggling with science and Ali learning about friendship. Students must demonstrate higher-order thinking skills by evaluating theme statements for universality versus story-specific details, recognizing that effective themes extend beyond the particular narrative to speak to broader human experiences. Created by Ariel Warden, an English teacher in the US who teaches grades 7 and 9. This comprehensive assessment serves multiple instructional purposes, from introducing theme concepts during initial lessons to providing formative assessment opportunities that reveal student understanding. Teachers can deploy this quiz as a warm-up activity to activate prior knowledge, assign it as homework to reinforce classroom instruction, or use it for review sessions before summative assessments. The varied question formats, including multiple-choice identification, evidence selection, and evaluation of theme statements, make it particularly effective for differentiated instruction and progress monitoring. This quiz aligns with Common Core State Standards RL.7.2 and RL.9-10.2, which require students to determine themes of texts and analyze their development throughout literary works, while also supporting standards that emphasize citing textual evidence and analyzing character development.

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18 questions

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MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

2 mins • 1 pt

What is the best theme of this story?

Don't be lazy

Have as much fun as you can before you die.

It's better to work hard early than to procrastinate.

Your friends will help you when you face challenges.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

What is the main difference between THEME and CENTRAL IDEA.

Theme is a universal lesson and main idea is what a story is about.

Theme is what a story is about and main idea is the universal lesson it teaches.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

When determining a theme, the reader should first consider...

the illustrations

the subject or topic

the title

the length of the story

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

A theme should be a statement, not just one word.

TRUE

FALSE

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

A novel can have more than one theme.

True.

False.

Maybe.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.5.7

CCSS.RL.6.9

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

2 mins • 1 pt

What is the theme of this story?

It is better to take your time and do it right then to rush and fail.

Don't be lazy.

Our friends are always there for us.

Turtles are faster than rabbits.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

Theme is developed

at the beginning of a story

in the exposition

by the end of the story

throughout the entire story

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

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