Theme Reading

Two Guitars

After guitar lessons, Jerry and Martin went to Martin's garage, where they could practice some more. Martin strummed his guitar, trying for the G chord he had just learned. Jerry looked over.

"Wait—is this it?" Jerry asked, positioning his own fingers.

"That looks right," said Martin. He strummed again, and then Jerry tried it.

"How come it sounds so . . . weak?" asked Jerry.

"Because we're not good," Martin said with a snort. "That's why we're practicing."

They took turns playing the G chord.

"This is boring. I thought we'd try to play a song or something," said Jerry.

"We can try. How about 'Ribbon Road'?" Martin asked.

Jerry looked down at his guitar, singing the notes to himself. He slowly picked out the first three notes. Martin tried it as well. He played the three notes over and over until they came out smoothly.

"Ow. My fingers hurt," said Jerry. He put down his guitar. "You know, I have a lot of homework tonight. I should get going."

After Jerry left, Martin did his own homework. But just before bed, he picked up his guitar and practiced the chords again until he got tired. He decided to practice a little every night before bed.

The next week, Jerry said he was quitting guitar lessons. He and Martin still hung out, but Jerry stopped talking about his goal of forming a band.

One day, Martin played a perfect rendition of "Ribbon Road" for Jerry.

"That was good! How did you do that?" Jerry asked.

"Sixty-three days of practice," Martin said.

Which of the following best describes the main theme or lesson of the story?

• Practice takes time but pays off.

• A true friend won't quit on you.

Two Guitars

After guitar lessons, Jerry and Martin went to Martin's garage, where they could practice some more. Martin strummed his guitar, trying for the G chord he had just learned. Jerry looked over.

"Wait—is this it?" Jerry asked, positioning his own fingers.

"That looks right," said Martin. He strummed again, and then Jerry tried it.

"How come it sounds so . . . weak?" asked Jerry.

"Because we're not good," Martin said with a snort. "That's why we're practicing."

They took turns playing the G chord.

"This is boring. I thought we'd try to play a song or something," said Jerry.

"We can try. How about 'Ribbon Road'?" Martin asked.

Jerry looked down at his guitar, singing the notes to himself. He slowly picked out the first three notes. Martin tried it as well. He played the three notes over and over until they came out smoothly.

"Ow. My fingers hurt," said Jerry. He put down his guitar. "You know, I have a lot of homework tonight. I should get going."

After Jerry left, Martin did his own homework. But just before bed, he picked up his guitar and practiced the chords again until he got tired. He decided to practice a little every night before bed.

The next week, Jerry said he was quitting guitar lessons. He and Martin still hung out, but Jerry stopped talking about his goal of forming a band.

One day, Martin played a perfect rendition of "Ribbon Road" for Jerry.

"That was good! How did you do that?" Jerry asked.

"Sixty-three days of practice," Martin said.

Which of the following best describes the main theme or lesson of the story?

Practice takes time but pays off.

A true friend won't quit on you.

Select the quotation from the story that most strongly suggests that the theme is Practice takes time but pays off.

• The next week, Jerry said he was quitting guitar lessons.

• One day, Martin played a perfect rendition of "Ribbon Road" for Jerry.

A Tale of Two Sisters

Liane was confident about the sand sculpture contest. She and her sister, Amanda, had been building sand castles for years. People often stopped to admire the intricate details of their creations.

The two knelt in the damp sand by the foamy surf and tried to hatch a winning idea for the contest.

"We should make something really unusual for this contest. Like a giant octopus or something," said Liane.

"I thought we were making a sand castle town, like we always do. Look, I collected all these shells for the walls," said Amanda. She pointed at a pile of smooth cowrie shells.

"Come on, let's do something different," Liane insisted. "Think big!"

"I don't know," Amanda said, dragging a finger in the sand. "No, I'm sticking to the original plan." She compressed a clump of sand between her palms, shaping it into a castle corner.

"I'll just make my own, then," Liane said. She marched to another spot a few yards away, plopped herself down, and began making her own sculpture.

At the end of the day, Liane gave up on her sculpture of a giant octopus attacking a castle. It looked like a lopsided shack with a blob on it. Liane hadn't had time to add any details.

Amanda had made a satisfactory castle, small but neatly ornamented with shells. Around it she had shaped the sand to look like rolling farmland. Amanda had spent most of her time on making a little herd of shell cows.

Looking around, Liane realized that neither of them would win the contest. Liane's sculpture was missing Amanda's skillful touch, and Amanda's castle was missing Liane's big ideas.

Which of the following best describes the main theme or lesson of the story?

• Sometimes it's better to compromise and work together.

• Sometimes it's good to try new things on your own.

Select the quotation from the story that most strongly suggests that the theme is Sometimes it's better to compromise and work together.

• "I'll just make my own, then," Liane said.

• Looking around, Liane realized that neither of them would win the contest.

Starry Night

"What do we do now?" asked Gavin. It was his first time camping, and he expected a long, boring night. He and Eric had finished dinner, and it was only six thirty.

"Just hang out," said Eric. Eric had been going camping for years. "Look at the sky. Sometimes you can see a shooting star," he said.

Gavin looked up. The stars were clear and bright. It was like being in a planetarium.

"See that really bright one over there? That's the North Star," Eric told him. "And there's the Little Dipper. Right next to it is the Big Dipper."

"Cool idea!" Gavin said. "What other constellations do you know?"

"Huh. I guess that's it. A lot of them come from Greek myths, but I don't remember them," said Eric.

"Well, I'll make up my own, then," said Gavin. "See over there? That's the buffalo."

"You're right!" agreed Eric. "See those three stars over there? That's the tent."

"And that bunch of stars—that's the mosquito," Gavin said, pointing.

Eric squinted. "That's a stretch," he said, "but why not? Now we just need a myth."

Gavin thought about it. "Two great hunters were tracking a buffalo," he began, "but they came to a swamp where the Great Mosquito lived."

Eric and Gavin took turns adding to the story. They were so focused on myth-making that by the time Gavin checked his watch, it was already nine forty-five. Since the air was mild and the sky cloudless, they unrolled their sleeping bags outside their tent. Gavin sighed happily as he closed his eyes, his brain still buzzing with new ideas for constellation stories.

Which of the following best describes the main theme or lesson of the story?

• Time passes quickly when you make your own fun.

• Trying new things can be good for you.

Select the quotation from the story that most strongly suggests that the theme is Time passes quickly when you make your own fun.

• Since the air was mild and the sky cloudless, they unrolled their sleeping bags outside their tent.

• They were so focused on myth-making that by the time Gavin checked his watch, it was already nine forty-five.

Tryouts

Kayla tried to ignore her sore throat and stuffy nose. She was trying out for the soccer team, and Coach Markham would pick only the twenty best players.

Kayla sipped from her water bottle while she waited to do practice drills. She sneezed, and then Coach Markham signaled her to start. First, Kayla had to run across the field as fast as she could. She took off, but her stuffy nose made it hard to breathe. When she reached the end of the field, she felt dizzy and her head was swimming a little. She hoped the coach hadn't noticed.

Next, she and another girl had to compete for control of the soccer ball. The other girl quickly stole the ball from Kayla. Kayla was surprised. She was usually good at this. For the first time, she worried that she might not make the team.

Kayla struggled through the other drills, too. At the end of the tryout, she felt terrible and left as soon as she could.

A few days later, Kayla had recovered from her cold. She was still worried about her performance at the tryout, but maybe it wasn't too late to do something about it.

Kayla went to see Coach Markham. She explained that she hadn't done her best because of her cold. Coach Markham listened patiently and agreed to let Kayla join the team for the first practice.

That was all Kayla wanted. She knew she would be a valuable member of the team. She just needed a chance to prove it.

Which of the following best describes the main theme or lesson of the story?

• Failure is not always a bad thing.

• No one likes to hear excuses.

• Sometimes it pays to ask for a second chance.

Select the quotation from the story that most strongly suggests that the theme is Sometimes it pays to ask for a second chance.

• For the first time, she worried that she might not make the team.

• Coach Markham listened patiently and agreed to let Kayla join the team for the first practice.

• At the end of the tryout, she felt terrible and left as soon as she could.

Visual Aid

Elliot looked up from his book and rubbed his eyes.

"Are you having trouble seeing over there?" asked his father. "You might be giving yourself eyestrain."

"I'm fine," grumbled Elliot, even though he had a pounding headache. He liked his reading spot on the couch. It was cozy, but his parents were always telling him to turn on the lamp. "It's just this book," he lied. "The plot is giving me a headache."

The next morning, Elliot's mom was looking out the window at the bird feeder. "Oh look—the yellow finches are back," she said. Elliot looked, but all he could see were yellow blurs darting to and from the bird feeder. He quickly lost interest.

"You're squinting," his mom observed. "Can you see them?"

"I am?" Elliott said. He hadn't felt himself squinting.

"You know, I think we should get your eyes checked. You make that squinty face a lot," said his mom.

When they went to see the eye doctor, Elliot learned that he had astigmatism in both eyes. He badly needed glasses.

At the optometrist, Elliot picked out a pair of sleek oval frames. When his lenses were ready, he tried them on. He was amazed. He could see street signs a block away. He could see the outlines of leaves on trees. His headaches disappeared, too, as if some muscle behind his eyes had suddenly loosened its grip.

Later that night, Elliot was reading on the couch when his dad got up and stretched.

"Good book, Elliot?"

"Yeah," Elliot said. He had been reading for hours and hadn't stopped once to rub his eyes. "Books are better when I can see."

Which of the following best describes the main theme or lesson of the story?

• The right book can make reading a pleasure.

• People shouldn't be afraid to ask for help when they have a problem.

• Sometimes people need help to see things about themselves.

Select the quotation from the story that most strongly suggests that the theme is Sometimes people need help to see things about themselves.

• He had been reading for hours and hadn't stopped once to rub his eyes.

• When his lenses were ready, he tried them on. He was amazed.

• "I am?" Elliott said. He hadn't felt himself squinting.