Identifying the Theme in a Passage

Eleanor invited the new girl, Jessica, over to play. When Jessica arrived, she didn't bother to wipe her shoes. She got mud all over Eleanor's white bedroom carpet and didn't even say sorry. Then, she hopped onto Eleanor's bed and took out a cherry juice box. When cherry juice dripped onto Eleanor's tan comforter, Jessica just shrugged. Later, when Jessica was eating some Cheetos, she wiped the orange powder on her fingers onto Eleanor's pillowcase. When Jessica left, Eleanor called all of her friends to tell them what had happened. Jessica was never invited to play at any of their houses again. What is the theme of this passage?

• Jessica should have been less messy if she wanted to make friends.

• Don't eat when you're over at a friends house.

• You should always respect other people's property.

Derek's mother and father were billionaires. Derek always got everyting that he wanted. When Derek was three, his parents paid the cast of Sesame Street to come to his birthday party. In fifth grade, when Derek wanted to win the Science Fair, his parents paid a tutor to create an award-winning project. In tenth grade, when Derek wanted to be the best soccer player, his parents paid for David Beckham to privately train him. By the time Derek was an adult, he was bored and struggled to find anything meaningful to do. None of the things that he could buy with his money made him happy anymore. What is the theme of this passage?

• Derek is unhappy because he alwys got everthing he ever wanted as a child.

• Money can't buy happiness.

• You should save your money to buy things later in life.

Liza's book report was due tomorrow. Her teacher had given the class an entire month to complete it. Many of Liza's friends were already finished, but Liza hadn't even started hers yet. When she got home, she saw a note from her dad that read, "Surprise! We're all going to the hockey game tonight. Your homework must be done first." Liza loved hockey and couldn't believe her bad luck. She'd never get her book report done before the game. Later, when her family left for the game, Liza had to say home to finish her book report. She vowed to herself that next time she would be sure to start it sooner. What is the theme of this passage?

• Everybody has to deal with bad luck at one time or another.

• Don't put things off until the last minute.

• Liza didn't get to go to the hockey game because she had to finish her report.

You must clean your room before your baseball game," Stephen's mom stated. Stephen hated cleaning his room. Because he wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible, he threw all of his clothes and toys into a huge pile in his closet and closed the door. "Done!" Stephen exclaimed. Right before it was time to leave for the game, Stephen's mother went into Stephen's room to get his uniform out of the closet. All of his clothes and toys came tumbling out. "Stephen!" she shouted. "if you would have cleaned your room properly in the first place, you wouldn't have to stay home and clean it all over again." What is the theme of this passage?

• Children should keep their rooms clean at all times.

• It's better to do things correctly the first time.

• Stephen should have listened to his mother the first time.

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.

Choose the best theme for this passage?

• Sometimes crying is good for you.

• It's important to be honest.

• Driving a car is a big responsibility.

• Don't lie.

Read the following passage 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?

• Playing a musical instrument is too much work.

• Hard work can bring great rewards.

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

• It's OK to give up on yourself.

Ethan had never learned to swim. He hadn't really needed to in the city where he had lived. But then his family moved to a new town. The town was on a lake and it soon became clear that everyone hung out down by the lake all summer long. Ethan's family had moved in the spring and Ethan had made some great new friends at the end of the school year. But now he had a big problem. Everyone just assumed he could swim and he was too embarrassed to set them straight. So far, no one had really noticed that he never went into the water. Then one day his friends decided they wanted to sit on the dock instead of on the beach. Ethan knew it would look strange if he did not come along, so he followed them out onto the dock. When they got past the shallow part of the lake, the boys started to horse around, and pretty soon they were pushing each other into the water. Suddenly, Ethan felt hands on his back. He lost his balance and plunged into the cold water. Down, down he sunk. Fortunately, the lifeguard was paying attention and was able to save Ethan from drowning. What is the theme of this passage?

• You should never swim without a lifeguard.

• If you can't swim, don't go to the lake.

• Speak up and tell the truth, even if it is hard.

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

• Playing a musical instrument is too much work. 

• Hard work can bring great rewards.

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

• It's OK to give up on yourself. 

Read the following passage. What is the theme the author is conveying?

~ “Bend It” ~ Izaac always wanted to be on the “Benders” soccer team. When Izaac was very little, he would watch his older brother Zach play on the team and over time become a local hero. The Benders were undefeated and had won countless championships. Zach was on track for a scholarship to the state university. Izaac was always envious of Zach and wanted to be just like his brother. Izaac’s father was the coach of the team and he begged his dad to let him on the team, even though he was a year younger than the rest of the boys. His father agreed but told Izaac that he would have to work twice as hard to keep up with the older boys. His dad also told him that he would be even harder on Izaac so the other boys on the team wouldn’t think he was playing favorites. Soccer practice was tough! Every day, the team practiced long and hard. Weeks of practice were endured and many times Izaac felt like quitting. He was sore and tired and often wondered why he had wanted this so badly. Often, he knelt down on the soccer field feeling like he was going to throw up. Of course, the other boys didn’t feel too badly for him, since they had been through the same thing. The Benders trained hard for the state championship and they knew they would face some “nasty” competition. The big day of the championship arrived, and Izaac watched with nervous excitement as his team won the first game of the competition. The second game, Izaac got to play for a few minutes and even made an epic block, but was benched for most of the time because he just wasn’t as good as the other boys ~ yet. Izaac didn’t get to play much but felt really proud to be part of the team. The Benders went on to win the championship and Zach was the hero again. For the first time though, Izaac didn’t feel jealous of Zach. He wondered why… 1 2

• Don't judge people before you get to know them

• Hard work is it's own reward.

• Be kind, always.

• Money is important

Read the following passage 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?

• Playing a musical instrument is too much work.

• Hard work can bring great rewards.

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

• It's OK to give up on yourself.