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Total questions: 72
Worksheet time: 6hrs 0mins
A story's main theme might be difficult to figure out because
Authors rarely want the reader to figure it out.
It has little to do with plot, characters, and other story elements.
It is usually implied, not stated explicitly.
Only complicated, adult stories have themes.
What does theme add to a story?
A sense of location.
An important message.
Motivation for the characters.
Dialogue for the characters.
What is the best definition of theme?
The events that occur in a story.
The narrators opinion of events.
An underlying message about life.
The author's reason for writing a story.
What is the difference between theme and central idea?
The theme is a summary of the major points of a story. A central idea is an explanation of how characters behave in the story.
The central idea is what a text is mostly about. It is specific to the text. A theme is a message or lesson that the author implies in a text and does not include specific details about the text.
The theme is what a text is mostly about. It is specific to the text. A central idea is a message or lesson that the author implies in a text.
The central idea is what a text is mostly about, but does not include specific details about the text. Theme does include many specific details about the text.
Three flies notice an overturned honey pot. Two of the flies decide to land in the honey and start eating it. But the oldest fly stays back. The two flies tease the older fly, but then get stuck in the honey. What is the theme of this story?
Some prizes are too good to be true.
Overeating leads to illness.
Insects value food over safety.
Always send in a tester.
Which of these shows the theme: being surrounded by the ones you love brings happiness?
When the astronaut landed on the moon, he felt loneliness. Thinking there was no one else, he became a little forlorned, though the view of Earth was stunningly beautiful.
All the family members were dressed in black, with somber faces. They were participating in the funeral ceremony of their deceased relative.
The religious leader was leading a huge congregation of followers, praying with utmost humility.
Their marriage ceremony was taking place in a grand hotel. All the prominent people of the city were invited, the reason that the celebration was excellent.
She sobbed for hours trying to think of a way out of having to tell her father she wrecked her new car. After stewing over it for quite some time, she called her father on his cell phone. "Thank you," he said.
What is the theme?
Sometimes crying is good for you
It's important to be honest.
Driving a car is a big responsibility.
Experiencing loss is difficult.
Jim was stacking boxes at work. There was a certain height he had to reach. He stretched his body, but could not reach to place the final box at the top. Bill happened to see Jim struggling and came to his rescue, since he was a foot taller.
Teamwork can help accomplish a goal.
Tall people are the best.
People and boxes are more alike than you'd imagine.
Work hard to reach your goals.
Susie was waiting for Tina to arrive in the crowded lunch room. She looked through the crowd to see if she could spot Tina from afar. Tina was standing in an area all by herself. She had a perplexed look on her face, as there were no other seats available. Thankfully, Susie had saved her a seat, and all was well.
Lunch is best when it's crowded.
Susie is nice.
Friends should look out for eachother.
Tina is lonely.
What is the formula for theme?
message
topic + author's purpose = theme
message = theme
topic/ subject + message = theme
Which of the following is NOT part of theme?
Can be one word
Life lesson, meaning, moral, or message about life that is communicated by a literary work
Their must be a message included in the theme about the topic
Their must be a topic or subject
Which of the following is a NOT a theme?
Lying may have consequences.
Mrs. White pleaded with Mr. White to wish for their son to be alive.
Never judge those based on their appearances.
Which is an example of theme?
One person can make a difference.
Missy knew she would always be grateful.
The donkey was stubborn and did not change.
Sir John became famous for slaying the dragon.
Which is an example of theme?
Inequality
Hope
Justice
Your past does not define you.
What is step five for determining theme in a text?
1. Identify the main idea/topic(s) the story covers. Just ONE or two words.
2. Ask yourself the questions, “what does the author believe about that topic?”
3. Complete this sentence stem:
The author believes that …
4. Cross out "The author believes that"
Theme is not cliche.
Theme must be in a sentence
Locate evidence to support the theme you chose.
Go back to the ending to help determine theme.
True or false? The theme is connected to the protagonist.
False
True
What is a summary?
The message or lesson of the passage.
a long statement that gives the minor ideas of a text.
a short statement that gives the main ideas of a text.
The topic of the passage.
What is an objective summary?
a summary that is not influenced by opinions.
a summary that contains main and minor details.
a summary that includes personal feelings and opinions.
When writing an objective summary, you should OMIT (leave out) . .
MAIN ideas
MINOR ideas
Right now Jason was playing right field. He really wanted to play third base. Earlier this year, coach had put him in left field and second base in a game, but never at third base. Once in practice, coach let him play third base, but he kept missing ground balls. When he did stop one, he made a bad throw to first base. Maybe if he kept practicing, Jason would be good enough to play third base. That was his dream.
Which sentence best summarizes the main idea passage?
Jason really wanted to play third base.
Jason had trouble catching ground balls.
Jason was the best player on his team.
Jason was too lazy to practice.
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.
Which sentence best summarizes the main idea of passage?
Ants carry many things.
Some ants may bite you and cause you harm.
Ants are hard workers.
Some ants help take care of the queen.
What is theme?
The topic of the passage
The message of the passage
The summary of the passage
The GIST of the passage
A Theme should be a statement, not just one word.
TRUE
FALSE
One way you could figure out the theme is to...
Skim through the story
Think about who the main character is
Think about what the character has learned.
Read the ending of the story.
What is the theme of this story?
Once a woman was in a hurry. She ran across the street without looking. She narrowly escaped being hit by a car.
Everyone deserves a second chance at life.
Don't take life for granted because it could be taken from you.
Be patient and look both ways before crossing the street.
Only cross on pedestrian crosswalks.
What is the theme of this story?
Long ago, a beautiful princess had all beautiful, expensive dresses. She bragged about them all the time. The other maidens got so tired of hearing about it that they stopped being friends with her.
Revenge comes in many forms.
Beautiful dresses make girls jealous.
Eventually you find out who your real friends are.
People should be modest, and not brag.
What is the theme of this passage?
Once there was a young boy and an old man. The young boy laughed at the tired old man. Then, the young boy needed to interview a veteran for a school project. The boy felt bad about laughing earlier.
Two wrongs don't make a right.
Don't laugh at others, because you don't know what they're going through.
Respect your elders.
When you need help, ask for it.
What is the theme of this story?
A long time ago there was a king who wanted nothing but gold. He wished everything he touched turned into gold. A fairy made this wish come true. Then anything he tried touch turned into gold, so he starved to death.
Don't be greedy.
Money isn't everything.
Don't be rude.
Life is short.
what is the theme of this passage?
In a spell of dry weather, when the birds could find very little to drink, a thirsty crow found a water pitcher with a little water in it. But the pitcher was high and had a narrow neck, and no matter how he tried, the crow could not reach the water. The poor thing felt as if he would die of thirst. Then an idea came to him. Picking up some small pebbles, he dropped them into the water pitcher one by one. With each pebble the water rose a little higher until at last it was near enough so he could drink.
Be persistent
Be honest
Always share with others
Be faithful
Shanna had never seen so many fish before. She looked around at the huge tanks and could see hundreds of fish, crabs, shrimp, and all other amazing creatures completely surrounding her. She never thought she could feel like she was completely underwater, yet still be completely dry.
The main topic is about...
The Mall
The Ocean
The Aquariam
The Park
What is the main idea?
What is the main idea?
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Excerpt
By Roald Dahl
Charlie Bucket stared around the gigantic room in which he now found himself. The place was like a witch’s kitchen! All about him black metal pots were boiling and bubbling on huge stoves, and kettles were hissing and pans were sizzling,and strange iron machines were clanking and spluttering, and there were pipes running all over the ceiling and walls, and the whole place was filled with smoke and steam and delicious rich smells. Mr. Wonka himself had suddenly become even more excited than usual, and anyone could see that this was the room he loved best of all. He was hopping about among the saucepans and the machines like a child among his Christmas presents, not knowing which thing to look at first. He lifted the lid from a huge pot and took a sniff; then he rushed over and dipped a finger into a barrel of sticky yellow stuff and had a taste; then he skipped across to one of the machine sand turned half a dozen knobs this way and that; then he peered anxiously through the glass door of a gigantic oven,rubbing his hands and cackling with delight at what he saw inside. Then he ran over to another machine, a small shiny affair that kept going phut-phut-phut-phut-phut, and every time it went phut, a large green marble dropped out of it into a basket on the floor.
What is the main idea?
Charlie’s discovery of the gigantic room
the boiling pots and kettles
seeing the machine that makes green candy
to learn about the room through Mr.Wonka’s excitement and discoveries
A Series of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning Excerpt
By Lemony Snicket
If you are interested in stories with happy endings,you would be better off reading some other book.In this book, not only is there no happy ending,there is no happy beginning and very few happy things in the middle. This is because not very many happy things happened in the lives of the three Baudelaire youngsters. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire were intelligent children, and they were charming, and resourceful, and had pleasant facial features, but they were extremely unlucky, and most everything that happened to them was rife with misfortune, misery, and despair.I'm sorry to tell you this, but that is how the story goes.
What is the main idea?
A description about the story to come.
A declaration about the Baudelaire family.
A warning about the story and it's sad content.
A beginning for the end of the story.
What is the theme?
What is the theme?
What is the theme?
What is the theme?
In 1946, Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers. He became the first African American to play basball in Major Leagues. Robinson's first game was opening day of the 1947 season. He faced the Boston Braves. He also faced a hostile crowd.
What is the PLOT of a story?
the problem in the story
the main character in the story
where the story takes place
the sequence of events
What makes up the setting of a story?
the characters who are in conflict
when the story happens
the message of the story
the when, where and circumstance of a story
Which of the following is the best example of a setting?
His icy blue eyes made me shiver with fear as he glared at me.
The thunder rolled across the valley the night we began our journey across the country.
We ran so fast at the track meet no one could catch up to us.
Sarah and Claudius argued until the teacher intervened and sent them to the principal's office.
Which is a plot event from the story "Everything Will Be Okay"
Dr. Milk has to put the kitten to sleep because it is so sick.
James' mom tells him to put his clothes in the washer.
Paul finds a kitten to give to his brother James.
James goes hunting with his father.
Which sentence best describes part of the setting of Everything Will be Okay?
I tuck the kitten under my jacket and run out of the woods, across the street, down the sidewalk toward my house.
I can feel tears welling up. “But that kitten is mine,” I say. “I found it, and it’s going to be my
pet.”
“Come on,” Paul says in his take-charge voice, “get that box now. Bring it on in here.”
I get up from the table and no one stops me.
Which of the following are characters in the story, Everything Will Be Okay?
Paul
Dr. Milk
James' father
James
Claude
How is James impacted by finding the kitten in the woods?
How does James' father influence, or shape, who James is as a boy?
James doesn't think his father likes him, so Hames is willing to do what his father wants so his dad will like him.
James wants to be like his father because his dad is a good hunter and James wants to be like him.
James' father encourages him to be a vet, like Dr. Milk.
James' father influences him to play golf with his brother Paul.
Who is the protagonist in Everything Will Be Okay?
Paul
James
Father
David and Claude
How does Paul's choice to put the kitten to sleep shape the plot of the story?
Paul's choice to put the kitten to sleep shows James how to work at the vet's office.
Paul's choice to put the kitten to sleep creates the chance for James to make the decision not to be like his family.
Paul's choice to put the kitten down provides the chance for James' mom to say she was right about the kitten being so sick.
Paul's choice to put the kitten down makes James feel really sad.
What is the central idea of the passage?
Millions of acres of tropical rainforest have been destroyed. Many animals and people lose their homes when the rain forest is cut down. Today, people are destroying the forests so quickly that the animals are unable to adapt. Many of these animals, such as the leopard, need miles and miles of untouched rain forest in order to live. Furthermore, as more of the rainforest is destroyed, the risk of air pollution and loss of oxygen increases.
Leopards are losing their homes
The destruction of the rain forest is harming humans and animals.
The destruction of the rain forest is an interesting subject
Forests provide oxygen for humans and animals
What is the central idea of the passage?
Thomas Edison’s life span is known as “The age of Edison.” If it wasn’t for Thomas Edison, we might not have electric lights, telephones, movie cameras, or computers! Think of all the ways these great products affect our lives today. Edison held over 1,000 patents and received dozens of awards during his lifetime for his inventions and contributions to science.
The light bulb was an important invention
Thomas Edison was an important inventor
Thomas Edison was an excellent student
Creating inventions is a difficult process
What is the central idea of the passage?
In 1969, Apollo 11’s successful landing on the moon was seen on TV all around the world. At last, men had walked on the moon for the first time ever! Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin became famous American heroes. This mission was a great achievement for the U.S. space program, and led to six more Apollo flights in the years to come. The mission's success also led to further deep space explorations by the United States and other countries around the world.
Apollo 11’s landing was an important moment in history
Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin are heroes
People were surprised about Apollo 11's success
Millions watched the Apollo 11 moon landing
What is the central idea of the passage?
The law was not exactly fair in the Middle Ages in Europe. Back then, you could blame someone in your town for committing a crime. The “criminal” could then challenge you to a fight to prove his guilt or innocence. If you lost the fight, you were charged as a liar and the criminal was believed to be innocent. If you won, the criminal was believed to be guilty.
Laws were unfair in the Middle Ages
Fighting is a good way to decide guilt or innocence.
Most people lied about crime in the Middle Ages.
Those who were innocent of crimes often won
What is the central idea of the passage?
In training to be a knight, a person was expected to study hard and learn good manners. They were taught to play musical instruments, sing, and recite poetry. They also studied reading, writing, geometry, and strategy games. Another knight would then teach the person to shoot a bow and arrow, fight with a sword, and ride a horse. To say the least, knights had a well-rounded education.
Knights learned a variety of subjects while training
Knights were very talented individuals
Knights were very hard working
Sword fighting was the most important subject a knight learned
What is the central idea of the passage?
In 1981, a new television channel was introduced to showcase musicians performing their songs in music videos. This channel was called MTV, or Music Television. Since the channel first went on the air, viewership has increased, and the channel has expanded to countries all over the world. Today, MTV not only shows music videos, but a variety of other television programming as well.
MTV has been a ground-breaking TV channel
MTV offers interesting videos
Watching MTV is a great way to see musicians
MTV is a channel that is broadcasted around the world
What is the central idea of the passage?
Jackie Robinson did something nobody had ever done before. He was not only a three-sport athlete at UCLA. He was the first African-American to play on a Major league baseball team, the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson had to deal with racism all over the country. He was treated very poorly by the by other players and fans in the stadiums he visited. But, whenever things got difficult, his courage and determination kept him going. Today his number 42 is retired on every team in major league baseball, and he is in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Jackie Robinson is an important figure in American History
Jackie Robinson played many different sports
Jackie Robinson is in the Baseball Hall of Fame
Jackie Robinson played for the Brooklyn Dodgers
What is the central idea of the passage?
Before the Industrial Revolution, most cloth was hand-made in people’s homes. They used spinning wheels and weaving looms to make their own clothes. This took a lot of time and hard work! But during the Industrial Revolution, machines were built that made great quantities of cloth very quickly. Before long, machines were built to make other products, such as paper and even cars! This saved people much time and energy.
The Industrial Revolution allowed goods to be made faster and easier
Cloth was difficult to make before machines
The Industrial Revolution helped the world prosper
Spinning wheels were used to make cloth before machines
What is the central idea of the passage?
William Shakespeare was a very prolific writer. By the time of his death at 52 years of age, he had written 37 plays, 154 poems, and two long, narrative poems. No other writer of his time produced as many high-quality works as Shakespeare. Among his most popular works are Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream. His words have inspired many writers to this day!
Shakespeare was a talented writer
Many people enjoyed Shakespeare’s plays
Shakespeare would have created many other works if he hadn’t died so young
Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet
