Analyzing Point of View and Theme

1. Point of View

What point of view is used in “The Present”?

A) First-person, because the boy tells the story.

B) Second-person, because the narrator speaks directly to the audience.

C) Third-person, because we observe the characters without knowing their thoughts.

D) Omniscient, because we hear the thoughts of every character.

• A

• B

• C

• D

2. Theme

What is the main theme of “The Present”?

A) The importance of winning competitions.

B) The value of video games over real-life activities.

C) Accepting differences and finding joy in unexpected friendships.

D) How to train a puppy to play fetch.

• A

• B

• C

• D

3. Character Traits

Which character trait best describes the boy by the end of the story?
A) Selfish, because he didn’t want the puppy.
B) Angry, because he couldn’t play video games anymore.
C) Caring, because he grew to love the puppy despite its disability.
D) Lazy, because he sat on the couch most of the time.

• A

• B

• C

• D

4. Summarization

Which sentence BEST summarizes “The Present”?
A) “A boy plays video games all day until his mom gives him a puppy.”
B) “A boy receives a puppy with a disability, feels frustrated at first, but then forms a strong friendship with it.”
C) “A puppy runs around a house causing trouble for a boy who likes video games.”
D) “A boy loves his video games more than anything, even after he gets a new puppy.”

• A

• B

• C

5. Figurative Language

In the story, the boy throws the puppy away from him like “it was a useless toy.” What does this comparison show?
A) He thought the puppy was actually a toy.
B) He felt disappointed and didn’t see the puppy’s value at first.
C) The puppy was broken and needed to be fixed.
D) He wanted to play with the puppy like a toy.

• A

• B

• C

6. Vocabulary

What does the word “frustrated” most likely mean in this sentence?
“The boy looked frustrated when the puppy kept trying to play with him.”

A) Excited and joyful
B) Calm and peaceful
C) Annoyed or upset because something is not easy
D) Curious and interested in what’s happening

• A

• B

• C

• D

1st Person POV

• narrator speaks for themselves & usually character in story; I, my, we, our, us

• narrator speaks for others & usually the bad guy of story; they, him, what, who

• narrator speaks for no one; WWBST

• narrator speaks for themselves & others; usually not a character in the story; I, me, they, us