Theme

Eleanor invited the new girl Jessica over to play. When Jessica arrived, she didn't bother to wipe her shoes. She got mud all over Eleanor's white bedroom carpet and didn't even say sorry. Then, she hopped onto Eleanor's bed and took out a cherry juice box. When cherry juice dripped into Eleanor's tan comforter, Jessica just shrugged. Later, when Jessica was eating some Cheetos, she wiped the orange powder on her fingers onto Eleanor's pillowcase. When Jessica left, Eleanor called all of her friends to tell them what had happened. Jessica was never invited to play at any of their houses again.

What is the theme of this passage?

• Jessica should have been less messy if she wanted to make friends.

• Don't eat when you're over at a friend's house.

• You should always respect other people's property.

Derek's mother and father were billionaires. Derek always got everything that he wanted. When Derek was three, his parent paid the cast of Sesame Street to come to his birthday party. In 5th grade, when Derek wanted to win the Science Fair, his parents paid a tutor to create an award-winning project. In 10th grade, when Derek wanted to be the best soccer player, his parents paid for David Beckham to privately train him. By the time Derek was an adult, he was bored and struggled to find anything meaningful to do. None of the things that he could buy with his money made him happy anymore.

What is the theme of the passage?

• Derek is unhappy because he always got everything he ever wanted as a child.

• Money can't buy happiness.

• You should save your money to buy things later in life.

• This passage doesn't have a theme.

Liza's book report was due tomorrow. Her teacher had given the entire class a month to complete it. Many of Liza's friends were already finished, but Liza hadn't even started hers yet. When she got home, she saw a note from her dad that read, ''Surprise! We are all going to the hockey game tonight. Your homework must be done first.'' Liza loved hockey and couldn't believe her bad luck. She'd never get her book report done before the game. Later, when her family left for the game, Liza had to stay home to finish her book report. She vowed to herself that next time she would be sure to start it sooner.

What is the theme of this passage?

• Don't put things off until the last minute.

• Everybody has to deal with bad luck at one time or another.

• Liza didn't get to go to the hockey game because she had to finish her report.

''You must clean you room before your baseball game,'' Stephen's mom stated. Stephen hated cleaning his room. Because he wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible, he threw all of his clothes and toys into a huge pile in his closet and closed the door. ''Done!'' Stephen exclaimed. Right before it was time to leave for the game. Stephen's mother went into Stephen's room to get his uniform out of the closet. All of his clothes and toys came tumbling out. ''Stephen!'' she shouted. ''If you'd cleaned your room properly in the first place, you wouldn't have to stay at home and clean it all over again.''

What is the theme of this passage?

• Children should keep their rooms clean at all times.

• It's better to do things correctly the first time.

• Stephen should have listened to his mother the first time.

When Darcy was 18, she wanted to dance on Broadway. When she went to her first audition, she was told that she would never get a job as a dancer because she didn't have the proper technique. Darcy didn't let this stop her. In fact, she became even more determined. For the next few months, Darcy took every dance lesson that she could attend in New York in order to keep improving her technique. She studied from the best teachers and danced everyday , even when she was exhausted. A year later, Darcy signed a contract to dance in her first Broadway show.

What is the theme of this passage?

• Determination is the key to success.

• Don't let someone else's negative comments get you down.

• Take lots of dance classes if you want to dance on Broadway.