Character Development and Theme

When Curtis transferred to our high school from some fancy private school, I was assigned the job of showing him around our building. First, I showed him our trophy case. Our school has done put together some quality teams and programs over the years, so our trophy case was pretty full. Curtis was not impressed. He claimed that the trophy case at his old school was at least twice as big as ours and much more crowded. Next I showed him our swimming pool. Not every high school has a swimming pool, so we were proud of ours, but Curtis couldn't care less. "The swimming pool at my old school is bigger and more modern. This one looks kind of dirty," he said with disdain. I continued to guide Curtis around the school, showing him our cafeteria, gymnasium, and even our garden, but Curtis seemed disappointed with everything that he saw. He'd quickly compare it to his old school, which in his words was superior to ours in every way. The last thing I showed Curtis was the front door. I told him that he would like this one best because he could walk through it and go back to his old school.

• Do not criticize things that are dear to others.

• A thing worth doing is worth doing correctly; cutting corners comes at a cost; better to do a thing once the right way then many times the wrong way.

• Give credit where credit is due; a good relationship has to have some give and take.

• Treat others as you wish to be treated; what goes around, comes around.

Which of the following is NOT an example of a theme?

• Treat others the way you want to be treated.

• The little boy lied to his mother.

• With hard work, you can accomplish anything.

• You shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

During a baseball game, Tanner tried to tag a player leaving first base. When the umpire called the player out, Tanner immediately informed the umpire that he in fact did not tag the runner. Two weeks later, the very same umpire was at another one of Tanner’s baseball games. Tanner was playing short stop and tagged a runner as they approached third base. When the umpire called the player safe, Tanner didn’t say a word, but the umpire noticed the surprised look on Tanner’s face. “Did you tag the runner?” she asked Tanner. When Tanner told her that he did tag the runner, the umpire changed her decision and called the player out. The coaches and parents were furious, but the umpire stood by her decision. What is the theme?

• You should cheat to win.

• Always work hard.

• It pays to be honest.

• Teamwork is best.

Which of these things is not related to the "theme" in a story?

• how a character is feeling

• a "life lesson" the main character learns

• a big idea that people from any culture or any place can understand

• the moral of the story

What is the theme of this story? 

• Slow and steady wins the race.

• Don't be lazy. 

• We are stronger together than we are apart.

• If you try to go on your own, you will get eaten by a big fish.

What type of character trait is the following example?
Tiffany loved when her teachers gave her creative projects.  Her favorite things to do were paint, write music, play her guitar, and mold pottery.

• direct characterization

• indirect characterization

The process by which an author reveals the personality of a character is called:

• theme

• tone

• lesson

• characterization

An author reveals the character traits in a story through a character's:

• actions

• reactions

• dialogue

• situations/interactions with other characters

• all of the above

What do you know about Jack from this sentence? Jack looked at his sister with a strange look on his face after she put ketchup in her milk.

• Jack thinks his sister is making a good choice.

• Jack thinks his sister is weird for using ketchup in her milk.

• Jack doesn't care what his sister does.

What is the definition of theme in literature?

• The theme is the physical setting of a story.

• The theme is the main character in a story.

• The theme is the sequence of events in a story.

• The central idea or message conveyed by a literary work.