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Theme Pretest

Total questions: 20

Worksheet time: 17mins

Name
Class
Date
1.
In a piece of narrative text, what is the "theme"?
a)
What the story is about
b)
The topic of the text
c)
A message the author is trying to get across to the reader
d)
Where and when the story happens
2.

What is a question you can ask yourself when identifying theme?

a)

Who is the main character?

b)

How did the character grow or change?

c)

What is the setting?

3.

What is a question you can ask yourself when identifying theme?

a)

What message is the author trying to send?

b)

What are the main character's traits?

c)

What is the climax?

4.

The author tells you exactly what the theme is.

a)

TRUE

b)

FALSE

5.
Which of these would be a good example of theme in a story?
a)
math is difficult
b)

if you steal money, something bad will happen to you

c)

Dogs make people happy

d)

Respect others and they will respect you.

6.

One way to figure out the theme is to ____.

a)

Skim through the story.

b)

Read the beginning of the story.

c)

Think about what the character has learned.

d)

Read the ending of the story.

7.

Which of the following statements about theme is TRUE?

a)

Authors NEVER use the same theme twice

b)

Themes only repeat in short stories

c)

All poems have the same theme

d)

The same themes can occur in different stories/different authors

8.
A novel can have more than one theme.
a)
TRUE
b)
FALSE
9.
A theme should be a statement, not just one word. 
a)
TRUE
b)
FALSE
10.

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

a)

Treat others the way you want to be treated.

b)

The little boy lied to his mother.

c)

With hard work, you can accomplish anything.

d)

You shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

11.

What could be an example of a theme?

a)

Friendship

b)

Being prepared often leads to success.

c)

How to bake chocolate chip cookies

d)

Helping others

12.
Which of the following is NOT a synonym for theme?
a)
message
b)
moral
c)
life lesson
d)
fable
13.
Why can't trust be a theme?
a)
There's nothing to learn about it.
b)
Trust is a theme
c)
It's only one word, which is a topic.
14.

A story's main theme might be difficult to figure out because:

a)

Authors rarely want the reader to figure it out

b)

It has little to do with plot, characters, and other story elements

c)

Only complicated, adult stories have themes

d)

It is rarely stated explicitly

15.
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.
a)
Sometimes crying is good for you
b)
it's important to be honest
c)
Driving a car is a big responsibility
d)
expereincing loss/grief is difficult
16.
The three-year-old peered down from the diving board and looked back at his mother behind him.  His knees began to buckle as he took another step forward.  "Splash!"
a)
it takes courage to accomplish your goals
b)
you should never give up
c)
it takes loyalty to reach your dreams
d)
people make sacrifices for others
17.

What is the difference between theme and main idea?

a)

Main idea is what the text is mainly about and theme is the lesson or moral in the story

b)

Theme is what the text is mainly about and Main idea is the lesson or moral in the story

c)

Theme is specific to characters in the story and main idea is not

18.
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?
a)
share with your neighbor
b)
work before you play
c)
be respectful
d)
don't be greedy
19.

Matt was always mean to the other younger kids on the school bus. He would make fun of them and put sticky stuff in their seat. He was the oldest and “coolest” kid on the bus. After this year, Matt would be going to high school. He would not have to ride with these little “rug rats” anymore. The summer had passed and Matt was headed to high school. He was a little nervous getting on the bus. When he walked on, he could feel the older kids laughing at him. When he got into his seat there was chocolate sauce smeared all over his seat. What is the theme?

a)

Loyalty

b)

Treat others how you would like to be treated.

c)

Money can't buy happiness (or friends)

d)

Be yourself

20.

Larry had it all. A huge house, all the toys he wanted, and best of all he had enough money to buy anything he wants. He was always coming to school with new shoes and designer clothes. What more could a kid ask for? But everyday at recess Larry went out to the playground and played on the swings by himself. He disliked recess because there was no one that wanted to play with him. It made him very sad. What is the theme?

a)

Money can't buy happiness (or friends).

b)

Helping others

c)

Do the right thing and people will follow.

d)

Practice and persistence pay off.