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Theme and Summary

Total questions: 31

Worksheet time: 32mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

The theme of a story is the

a)

main character

b)

message about life that the author expresses

c)

sequence of events

d)

short summary of what the story is about

2.

Which of the following could be the theme of a story?

a)

Fear is more dangerous than any beast.

b)

A brave young girl pretends to be a man and takes her father's place in the army.

c)

a fear of heights

d)

"I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too."

3.

Which of the following could be a theme of a story?

a)

a 35-year-old woman named Essie and her brother

b)

a small apartment in Marfa, Texas

c)

Telling the truth may cause pain, but in the end, it's better than lying.

d)

Essie lied to her brother about her identity for two years, but she finally decided to tell him the truth.

4.

Which of the following could be a theme of a story?

a)

Your past does not define you.

b)

returning home after a long time

c)

A man sees a group of people he used to work with a long time ago.

d)

an old man who used to be a farmer

5.

Read the following from a story: As Tai strummed the guitar, Charlesa looked at her with pride. For so long, Tai's fingers had clumsily tripped over the strings, but now she played the song with ease. Getting to this point hadn't been easy for Charlesa, either. She sighed, trying to bury the memories of all the screaming tantrums Tai had thrown. Once, she nearly threw her guitar against a wall. But now when Tai smiled, and the tune of "Sweet Home Alabama" floated out of the instrument, Charlesa smiled, too. It had been worth it.

Which of the following is most likely a theme of the story?

a)

Playing a musical instrument is too much work.

b)

Hard work can bring great rewards.

c)

Friends shouldn't try to teach each other new things.

d)

It's OK to give up on yourself.

6.

When would you most likely summarize a book?

a)

when you want to forget a book you've read

b)

when you want to tell a friend your opinion of a book but not what it was about

c)

when you want to tell a friend the gist or main ideas of a book

d)

when you don't understand a vocabulary word you read in a book

7.

What can you summarize?

a)

only novels

b)

only nonfiction

c)

only movies

d)

anything you read or watch

8.

The article "The Three Men Who Invented the Telephone" is about three different men who contributed to the invention of the telephone. Which of the following should you include in a summary of this article?

a)

details about how smartphones and cell phones work

b)

a detail about where the phrase "put someone on hold" came from

c)

a brief explanation of how each man was involved in the invention of the telephone

d)

your opinion about who really invented the telephone

9.

The theme of a story is its________.

a)

main character

b)

lesson, moral, or message

c)

basic plot

d)

most memorable sentence or phrase

10.

What is a summary?

a)

Retells the main events of the story in a shorter version.

b)

Tells the people in the story.

c)

Tells where the story takes place.

d)

Tells us the theme of the story.

11.

True or False: In a summary you should include all of the main details from the text.

a)

True

b)

False

12.

Why do we write a summary?

a)

To give small details about the summary.

b)

To explain the conclusion.

c)

To tell what the story is mainly about.

13.
What should be included in the summary?
a)
Your opinion of the story
b)
Where the story takes place
c)
Where you read the story
14.

Fiction is a made up story.

a)

True

b)

False

15.

A central problem faced by the main character

a)

conflict

b)

plot

c)

resolved

d)

evidence

16.

The basic sequence of events in a story

a)

plot

b)

resolved

c)

evidence

d)

influence

17.

________ is where and when a story takes place.

a)

Plot

b)

Point of view

c)

Setting

d)

Soolution

18.

________ is the introduction that provides the details of the characters and setting.

a)

Exposition

b)

Climax

c)

Resolution

d)

Theme

19.

_________ is the turning point of the story where the conflict reaches it peak.

a)

Resolution

b)

Rising action

c)

Climax

d)

Exposition

20.

The conclusion to the story that reveals the solution to the conflict is called _______.

a)

falling action

b)

resolution

c)

exposition

d)

climax

21.

A _________ retells the main events of a story in a shorter version.

a)

theme

b)

summary

c)

solution

d)

point of view

22.
Tomorrow is Jill's birthday. She is excited because she gets to pick where she will eat dinner. Will it be Mexican food at the Big Enchilada House? Or will it be fried chicken at the Chicken Shack, or a big cheeseburger at Al's Hamburger Palace. She just couldn't decide. Then there was always the Pizza Shop with that great pepperoni pizza. How would she ever decide? Maybe she would just flip a coin.
The Summary of this passage is:
a)
Jill has many restaurants to choose from for her birthday.
b)
 Jill loves Mexican food.
c)
The Pizza Shop has the best pizza in town.
d)
 Jill will choose a place by flipping a coin.
23.
It started when they got to the bears. Peter felt tired and his stomach hurt. He dragged himself over to see the elephants, which were eating from a stack of hay. Normally, the elephants were his favorite. Without much interest, Peter followed his classmates to the camels, which were busy swatting flies with their tails. Peter knew he should be having fun at the zoo, but he just felt terrible and all he wanted to do was lie down and rest. Even the lions and tigers did not interest him now. 
The Summary of this passage is:
a)
Peter's favorite animals were the elephants.
b)
The camels were swatting flies with their tails.
c)
 It was really hot at the zoo.
d)
Peter didn't enjoy the zoo because he felt really bad.
24.
Julie watched the ants as they carried small crumbs down the trail to the anthill. She thinks ants are very hard working and industrious little creatures. They always seemed busy, and you never saw an ant just laying around doing nothing. They were carrying food, building tunnels, or defending the anthill. One thing you could say about ants is that they sure aren't lazy.
The Summary of this passage is:
 
a)
Ants carry many things.
b)
Some ants may bite you.
c)
Ants are hard workers.
d)
Some ants help take care of the queen.
25.
The first book Chris read in fifth grade was about a lost kitten. Then he read a book about a family of bears, and then he read about a wild kangaroo in Australia. It seems every book Chris reads is about animals. Last week he found a good book about snakes and reptiles, and another book about elephants. Today Chris went to the library, and he checked out a book about dolphins, whales and other animals that live in the sea.
The Summary of this passage is:
a)
Chris likes kangaroos.
b)
Chris is in the fifth grade.
c)
Chris reads a lot of books about animals.
d)
Dolphins and whales live in the sea.
26.
 Blaine opened up the present and began pouting. He screamed in a high-pitched voice, "This is Captain Thunder! I wanted Captain Lightning!" His mother looked at him with dismay and handed him another present, which he greedily opened. "Why did you get me a red hat? You know I like blue more," Blaine whined as he threw the hat across the room. His mother straightened her expression and squinted at him. Earlier she had hoped to take some pictures of this moment, but by now she had put away her camera. She sighed and handed him one more present in hopes that this year wouldn't be a total bust. Blaine huffed and opened it. "A Game Box 4000 wow. Where's the Game Box 5000 that I asked for?" His mother could bear his ingratitude no longer. The next time that Blaine returned from his father's house, he was shocked to find that all of these toys and gifts, along with many other of his things, had been generously donated to needy children. 
From the character's experience, the reader can learn...
a)
It's more fun to share.
b)
 Be thankful for the things that you receive.
27.
Barry liked playing board games, but he hated losing. He hated losing so much that he would do whatever it took to win, even bending or breaking the rules. He'd steal money from the bank and hide it under the couch cushions. He'd skip spaces while he was moving around the board. He'd shortchange others money that they were owed and argue with them about it. Barry's techniques were effective. He did win most of the games that he played, but the people whom he played with were his friends and family, and it didn't take too long until they caught on to Barry's tricks. They tried to tell Barry to stop cheating. They said that the game wasn't any fun when he cheated, but he didn't listen. He continued with his treacherous style of game play, until nobody would play with him anymore. 
Which statement expresses a main theme of the passage?
a)
Do not judge a book by its cover
b)
Winning isn't everything.
c)
Be thankful for the things that you receive.
d)
Don't sweat the small stuff.
28.
What is the difference between a theme of a story and a topic of a story?
a)
They are the same thing. 
b)
Theme is a summary and a topic is a life lesson.
c)
Theme is the life lesson you learn and topic is what the story is mostly about. 
d)
They both summarize the plot.
29.
We learn a story's theme through the character's actions.
True or False?
a)
False
b)
True
30.
What is another way of saying theme(life lesson) of a story?
a)
Main idea
b)
Central Message
c)
Central Park
d)
Details
31.
What do folktales always have?
a)
reality TV stars
b)
Themes or life lessons