What does the word point mean in the paragraph below?
Ms. Lamar gave a narrative writing assignment during class today. She reminded us to start with a strong introduction, stick to the point of the story, and end with a catchy conclusion. 

Read the information below and answer the question that follows.
It was April Fool's Day. Liam couldn't wait to pull a prank on his brother, Dan. He has been planning it for weeks. His mom and dad were even helping him. Once, Dan placed friend's snake into Liam's sock drawer. Another time he placed a tarantula beneath Liam's pillow. Dan was always pulling pranks on Liam, but today was Liam's turn to turn the tables on him. Mom bought the "creatures" and dad helped Liam put them in their places. As usual, Dan made himself some scrambled eggs for breakfast and was eating them at the breakfast table when the rest of his family came in to the kitchen. Liam and his mom stood by the stove and pretended to cook. Dad sat down at the table with a bowl, cereal, and some milk. When Liam asked Dan a question, Dad put some worms on Dan's plate. Dan turned to take a bite of his eggs but screamed in terror at the sight! Mom, Dad, and Liam erupted in laughter. They had got Dan good!
According to the story, what is one way that Liam achieves his prank on Dan?

The information in the box to the right is important because it provides information about - 

Read the information below and answer the question that follows.
In 1901, the first Nobel Peace Prize was awarded. When Alfred Nobel died, he left much of his wealth to establish a prize for great achievements in order to benefit people around the world. The prizes would be awarded in several areas including: physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, peace- making, and economic sciences. Each recipient, or winner, receives a gold medal, a diploma, and about 1 million dollars. Winning the prize helps draw attention and support to the recipient of the award. The goal of the prize is to help humanity as a whole. 
What is one benefit of winning the Nobel Prize?

A Dog, to whom the butcher had thrown a bone, was hurrying home with his prize as fast as he could go. As he crossed a narrow bridge, he looked down and saw his reflection in the quiet water as if in a mirror. But the greedy Dog thought he saw a real Dog carrying a bone much bigger than his own. If he had stopped to think he would have known better. But instead of thinking, he dropped his bone and sprang at the Dog in the river, only to find himself swimming for dear life to reach the shore. At last he managed to scramble out, and as he stood sadly thinking about the good bone he had lost, he realized what a foolish Dog he had been.
What is the theme?

In a spell of dry weather, when the Birds could find very little to drink, a thirsty Crow found a 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 pitcher one by one. With each pebble the water rose a little higher until at last it was near enough so he could drink.
What is the theme?

One summer's day, a merry Grasshopper was dancing, singing and playing his violin with all his heart. He saw an Ant passing by working hard to store food for the winter. “Come and sing with me instead of working so hard,” said the Grasshopper “Let’s have fun together.” “I must store food for the winter,” said the Ant,“ and I advise you to do the same.” “Don’t worry about winter, it’s still very far away,” said the Grasshopper, laughing at him. But the Ant wouldn’t listen and continued to work. When winter came, the starving Grasshopper went to the Ant’s house and humbly begged for something to eat. “If you had listened to my advice in the summer you would not now be in need,” said the Ant. “I’m afraid you will have to go without supper,” and he closed the door.
What is the theme?

What is the theme of this passage:
Today was Friday and Mark knew that meant it was Fun Friday at school.  All the students were allowed to participate in Fun Friday if they turned in their homework.  Mark walked into class and open his backpack.  He stared inside and froze.  He had left his homework on the counter.  He tried to think quickly, what could he say?  He could tell Mr. Barnes that his little brother had thrown it away.  He could tell him that he dropped it on the bus or he could say that he already turned it in and that Mr. Barnes must have lost it.  "Where's your homework, Mark?" asked Mr. Barnes.  Mark just hung his head, he couldn't tell a lie.  "I left it at home", he said quietly.  

Before the 1800's people didn't have right or left shoes.  They had shoes of just one shape that they used for both feet.  When people first saw right and left shoes, they laughed.  They called them "crooked shoes."  "What a silly idea," they said.  You can tell that shoes before 1800:

Tim looked out the window. The house looked so lonely. Tim's father put the last suitcase in the trunk and started up the car. Thor, his dog, put his head on Tim's lap, like he understood how  Tim was feeling. "It's okay Thor," he said, "Dad says we will like California." What is happening?

Joseph and Caitlin were choosing the players for their teams. It was Caitlin's turn to choose, and only Jason was left. Caitlin said, "Jason."

We can infer that…

Many breeds of dogs are used for work. In many cultures dogs are used to herd sheep. The dogs keep the flock from being attacked by animals such as wolves. They also keep sheep from wandering off. Sheepdogs are known for their loyalty and gentleness. Based on your reading of the text, you can INFER that: