Identifying Themes

A Dog, to whom the butcher had thrown a bone, was hurrying home with his prize as fast as he could go. As he crossed a narrow bridge, he looked down and saw his reflection in the quiet water as if in a mirror. But the greedy Dog thought he saw a real Dog carrying a bone much bigger than his own. If he had stopped to think he would have known better. But instead of thinking, he dropped his bone and sprang at the Dog in the river, only to find himself swimming for dear life to reach the shore. At last he managed to scramble out, and as he stood sadly thinking about the good bone he had lost, he realized what a foolish Dog he had been.

What is the best theme of the passage?

• Be honest.

• Don't be greedy.

• Always share your things with others.

• Be respectful to others.

Dan and Doug led the journalism club. While Dan was generally regarded as a better writer than Doug, Doug was invaluable to the publication for his investigative skills. Together, they had uncovered a scandal in the cafeteria that had been dubbed "Horsemeat-Gate." Due to Dan and Doug's compelling story, interest in the high school paper grew. Dan was even interviewed by the local paper. During the interview, Dan spoke at length about all he had done to write the story. He failed to mention Doug's involvement. Doug felt slighted and confronted Dan, but Dan asserted that he was the main writer of the story and therefore deserved the credit. Shortly after the blowout, Doug left the journalism club. The people of the town were interested in the high school paper, but without Doug's knack for finding good stories, the quality of the paper diminished and so did interest in the paper. Now that his popularity surge had ended, Dan had more time to think. He reasoned that they'd still be on top of the world if Doug hadn't been so stubborn and selfish.

What is the best theme of the passage?

• Either lead or get out of the way.

• Give credit where credit is due.

• Dan and Doug argued over whose contribution was more important to the paper.

• Kindness matters.

Lucas swung his fist as hard as he could and hit William between the shoulder blades. William cringed and moaned. He was a grade younger than Lucas and forty pounds lighter. "That's what you get for sitting on my swing, crybaby," Lucas said with anger in his eyes and hatred in his heart. "If you tell on me, I'll hit you twice as hard!" Lucas shouted at William as he ran off crying. Lucas enjoyed bullying William. It was easy to do and it made Lucas feel strong and good about himself. As he was rejoicing in his easy victory over the fragile William, Lucas felt a sharp sting in between his shoulder blades as he was knocked from the swing. "Ugh!" He shouted as he sprawled across the soft rubber playground tiles. Lucas looked up to see Craig. Craig was a grade older than Lucas and at least forty pounds heavier. "That's what you get for bullying little kids, coward," Craig said with anger in his eyes and justice in his heart. "If I see you put your hands on another little kid out here, or anywhere else, I'm going to hit you twice as hard!" Craig shouted at Lucas as he ran off crying.

What is the best theme of the passage?

• Always tell the truth.

• Be happy with what you have.

• Lucas is bullying William, and Craig comes to the rescue.

• What goes around, comes around.

Kristin had a good reputation. She was known as a bright student who frequently made honor roll and did volunteer work in her community. Nikki and Simone had reputations too, but they were known for causing trouble, getting into fights, and behaving dishonestly. One day Kristin was walking to the little store on the corner to get some healthy snacks when she bumped into Nikki and Simone. Much to Kristin's surprise, Nikki and Simone were being really nice to her. "How come we never hang out with Kristin? She cool," Simone said. Kristin had always quietly admired Nikki and Simone as girls who didn't take any stuff, so she enjoyed the compliments and the attention. Soon they were all walking into the little store together. The girls were playing around and having a good time while Kristin shopped. She picked out a few snacks and paid for her purchases, but on the way out the store owner stopped them. "Let me see what you've got there, little lady," he said as he reached into Nikki's pocket and pulled out several candy bars. "Now you," he said as he went into Simone's backpack and retrieved several bags of chips and packs of gum. He searched Kristin too, but didn't find anything. Kristin begged and pleaded with him as he called the police, "Please, sir, I'm a good girl." To which the man replied, "If you are such a good girl, then why are you hanging out with these two?" Kristin did not know.

What is the best theme of the passage?

• Everyone makes mistakes.

• Nothing is more important than having friends.

• Kristin and her friends were stopped by the store manager for shoplifting.

• Choose your friends wisely.

Tommy wanted a skateboard badly. Sometimes he would stay after school just to watch the older boys do tricks on the stairs. Tommy thought that it looked like so much fun to grind down rails and kick flip over gaps. He imagined performing jaw-dropping tricks on the various landmarks he passed on his way home. After months of saving money and begging his grandma, Tommy finally got a skateboard. With a beaming grin across his face, Tommy ran out to his driveway and attempted one of the tricks that he had often imagined himself performing. As Tommy put his first foot on his skateboard, the skateboard slid out from under him and Tommy fell on his butt. He broke out into tears. That was the last time that Tommy rode a skateboard.

What is the best theme of the passage?

• Get it right the first time.

• What defines us is how well we rise after falling.

• Tommy failed repeatedly when attempting a skateboard trick.

• Nothing beats success.

Keith was stressed about his research paper. He had to write five pages about something that interested him, but he couldn't think of anything interesting. He decided that he would just play basketball. The next night Keith sat down to work on his paper again, but he still couldn't think of anything that interested him, so he listened to music and played video games instead. The next few days went much the same: he told himself that he wasn't interested in anything, and then he read comic books, watched movies, or read about classic cars. Keith was worried now because the paper was due very soon, and he still didn't even have a topic. He tried to think of something that he found interesting, but again he couldn't, so he just played his guitar and cooked a meal for his family. He loved to cook. At last the due date was here and Keith still didn't even have a topic. By now he had accepted that he would fail. "If only I could have found an interesting topic," he told himself.
Select the correct theme.

• Keith was stressed out about his research paper.
• Sometimes the answer is right in front of you.
• Not everyone can be an A student.
• It is impossible to find an interesting research topic.

Read the following passage from a story:

Marta was stumped. She had turned the details of the case over and over in her head, trying to figure out the answer. The suspect had somehow entered the store, stolen the artwork and exited without leaving any trace or fingerprints. Marta paced, her movements matching her storm of thoughts. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the new technological device she had been given to use, which she'd been avoiding like the plague. "I wonder…" she thought.

Hesitantly, Marta typed the details of the case into the device's keyboard. It whirred and spat out a list of similar cases and how they'd been solved. Reading through the information, Marta was amazed. She had been pondering for hours, but 30 seconds with this device, and she could find answer! With new respect, she rushed off.

Which of the following is the BEST theme for the story?

• Using technology can have good results

• Technology is never the answer

• Avoid committing crimes to avoid punisment

• Crimes are always solved

Read the following passage from a story:

Wind whipped at Vanessa, Mo and Jaime's faces as they trudged up the mountain. "Do you have the ice samples?" Vanessa questioned Mo again.

"Why don't you carry them the rest of the way?" he responded irritably. Mo was digging into his backpack to retrieve the samples when suddenly, a gust of wind snatched them out of his hands, sending them tumbling down the mountain.

"If we lose those, this was all for nothing!" Vanessa cried. The wind roared angrily, churning flakes of snow that had newly begun to fall. How far had the samples gone? The three scientists stared at each other in horrified silence.

"I'll go back for them," Jaime spoke up quietly.

Vanessa and Mo looked at Jaime. He was the smallest and youngest of the group, barely strong enough to carry his large backpack.

"I'll go," he said louder.

What is the BEST theme of the passage?

• Always stay positive.

• Courage can be found even in the most unexpected people.

• Staying angry solves no problems.

• What goes around comes around.

In a spell of dry weather, when the Birds could find very little to drink, a thirsty Crow found a pitcher with a little water in it. But the pitcher was high and had a narrow neck, and no matter how he tried, the Crow could not reach the water. The poor thing felt as if he would die of thirst. Then an idea came to him. Picking up some small pebbles, he dropped them into the pitcher one by one. With each pebble the water rose a little higher until at last it was near enough so he could drink.
What is the theme?

• be persistent
• be honest
• always share with others
• respect your family

One summer's day, a merry Grasshopper was dancing, singing and playing his violin with all his heart. He saw an Ant passing by working hard to store food for the winter. “Come and sing with me instead of working so hard,” said the Grasshopper “Let’s have fun together.” “I must store food for the winter,” said the Ant,“ and I advise you to do the same.” “Don’t worry about winter, it’s still very far away,” said the Grasshopper, laughing at him. But the Ant wouldn’t listen and continued to work. When winter came, the starving Grasshopper went to the Ant’s house and humbly begged for something to eat. “If you had listened to my advice in the summer you would not now be in need,” said the Ant. “I’m afraid you will have to go without supper,” and he closed the door.
What is the theme?

• Share with your neighbor.
• Work before you play.
• Be respectful.
• Don't be greedy.