Theme Review

What is central idea?

• The message about life in a text

• The best information to support the subject

• What the text is mainly about

• The purpose for the article

Read the following paragraph.

(1)The first U.S. zoo opened in Philadelphia in 1874. (2)Visitors were thrilled to see animals from all over the world. (3)The zoo had six giraffes, an elephant named Jennie, and many colorful birds. (4)It also had some animals from Australia. (5)People were amazed at the kangaroos, wombats and dingoes.

Which sentence in the passage best supports the central idea of the paragraph?

• Sentence 1

• Sentence 2

• Sentence 3

• Sentence 5

What is a theme?

• What the text is mainly about

• The message about life in a text

• Details to support a claim

• The tone of the piece

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

• Your past does not define you.

• Returning home after a long journey.

• An old man who used to be a farmer.

Broken Dishes

Joe owned a few businesses in Penfield, and he was a thoughtful business owner. The windows of his art gallery were made of special glass that protected the art from sun damage. And he bought a new delivery van for his flower shop when the old one kept breaking down, because no one should receive withered flowers.

He was especially proud on the day his restaurant opened. A restaurant was a brand-new venture for Joe. He'd picked out beautiful plates and glasses. They were costly, but he wanted to give his customers the best dining experience he could.

He was thrilled when the restaurant filled up for lunch, but disheartened when he heard a glass break in the kitchen.

"Please be more careful," he told the dishwasher.

Not much later, a child shattered a plate on the dining room floor. After that, a man waved Joe to his table, where he pointed out a chip in the rim of his water glass. It would have to be thrown away.

In the kitchen that night, Joe counted the remaining plates and glasses.

"Owning this place is going to cost a lot more than I thought," he told the chef.

"You know, there's a restaurant supply store in Ridgemont. It sells dishes and glassware, and you buy them in bulk, so they're cheap," the chef said.

"Good point," said Joe. "In this business, sooner or later everything breaks."

That weekend, Joe and his chef drove to the store in Ridgemont.

The next day, Joe watched contentedly as the restaurant fill up again. When a server dropped one of the new plates, Joe didn't get upset. A new one was taken from a large box, where there were plenty more replacements at the ready.

Which of the following best describes the main theme or lesson of the story?

• Some things in life are not worth spending a lot of money on.

• People don’t always respect the property of others.

Broken Dishes

Joe owned a few businesses in Penfield, and he was a thoughtful business owner. The windows of his art gallery were made of special glass that protected the art from sun damage. And he bought a new delivery van for his flower shop when the old one kept breaking down, because no one should receive withered flowers.

He was especially proud on the day his restaurant opened. A restaurant was a brand-new venture for Joe. He'd picked out beautiful plates and glasses. They were costly, but he wanted to give his customers the best dining experience he could.

He was thrilled when the restaurant filled up for lunch, but disheartened when he heard a glass break in the kitchen.

"Please be more careful," he told the dishwasher.

Not much later, a child shattered a plate on the dining room floor. After that, a man waved Joe to his table, where he pointed out a chip in the rim of his water glass. It would have to be thrown away.

In the kitchen that night, Joe counted the remaining plates and glasses.

"Owning this place is going to cost a lot more than I thought," he told the chef.

"You know, there's a restaurant supply store in Ridgemont. It sells dishes and glassware, and you buy them in bulk, so they're cheap," the chef said.

"Good point," said Joe. "In this business, sooner or later everything breaks."

That weekend, Joe and his chef drove to the store in Ridgemont.

The next day, Joe watched contentedly as the restaurant fill up again. When a server dropped one of the new plates, Joe didn't get upset. A new one was taken from a large box, where there were plenty more replacements at the ready.

Select the quotation from the story that most strongly suggests that the theme is “Some things in life are not worth spending a lot of money on.”

• “Please be more careful,” he told the dishwasher.

• “Good point,” said Joe. “In this business, sooner or later everything breaks.

When Can You Start?

Carolyn and Tina were hired to organize and paint their neighbor's shed. A great deal of stuff had accumulated in Mrs. Bosco's shed over the years. While Tina talked to Mrs. Bosco, Carolyn began sorting items into two piles: things that worked and things that were garbage.

"Mrs. Bosco, you're going to love what we're going to do with the shed," Tina was saying. "You won't even recognize it when we're done."

"I'm sure it will turn out very nicely, Tina," Mrs. Bosco said.​​​​​​​

"I'm thinking of installing a tool rack. What do you think?"

"Thanks, but that's not necessary."

"Have you ever thought about adding a window box?" Tina asked.

As they were talking, Carolyn hauled bags of trash to the curb. She took it upon herself to clear out rotten firewood, rusted gadgets, leaves, and dirt.

"Hey, Carolyn," Tina said. "I'm going to pick up some extra supplies at the hardware store. I'll be back soon."

While she was gone, Carolyn found a couple gallons of blue paint and some brushes on a back shelf. The inside of the shed was now clean and organized. Carolyn went to work painting the outside—a peaceful, quiet task. An hour later, she heard Mrs. Bosco in the yard on her cell phone, talking to Tina.

"Like I said, Tina, we don't need more shelves in the shed. Why don't you come back now?"

Sighing, Mrs. Bosco approached Carolyn. "Thank you. You seem to understand that I hired you to get a job done, not come up with add-ons I didn't ask for," she said. "Your sister is nice, but without you, it doesn't seem like anything would ever get done."

She paid Carolyn a generous amount, and the painting was nearly finished by the time Tina returned in the afternoon.

Which of the following best describes the main theme or lesson of the story?

• Don’t be scared to accept new challenges.

• Actions are more valuable than talk.

When Can You Start?

Carolyn and Tina were hired to organize and paint their neighbor's shed. A great deal of stuff had accumulated in Mrs. Bosco's shed over the years. While Tina talked to Mrs. Bosco, Carolyn began sorting items into two piles: things that worked and things that were garbage.

"Mrs. Bosco, you're going to love what we're going to do with the shed," Tina was saying. "You won't even recognize it when we're done."

"I'm sure it will turn out very nicely, Tina," Mrs. Bosco said.​​​​​​​

"I'm thinking of installing a tool rack. What do you think?"

"Thanks, but that's not necessary."

"Have you ever thought about adding a window box?" Tina asked.

As they were talking, Carolyn hauled bags of trash to the curb. She took it upon herself to clear out rotten firewood, rusted gadgets, leaves, and dirt.

"Hey, Carolyn," Tina said. "I'm going to pick up some extra supplies at the hardware store. I'll be back soon."

While she was gone, Carolyn found a couple gallons of blue paint and some brushes on a back shelf. The inside of the shed was now clean and organized. Carolyn went to work painting the outside—a peaceful, quiet task. An hour later, she heard Mrs. Bosco in the yard on her cell phone, talking to Tina.

"Like I said, Tina, we don't need more shelves in the shed. Why don't you come back now?"

Sighing, Mrs. Bosco approached Carolyn. "Thank you. You seem to understand that I hired you to get a job done, not come up with add-ons I didn't ask for," she said. "Your sister is nice, but without you, it doesn't seem like anything would ever get done."

She paid Carolyn a generous amount, and the painting was nearly finished by the time Tina returned in the afternoon.

Select the quotation from the story that most strongly suggests that the theme is Actions are more valuable than talk.

• “Your sister is nice, but without you, it doesn’t seem like anything would ever get done.”

• The inside of the shed was now clean and organized.

Too Much Fun

Darryl thought his friend Julia had such a cool mother. She would drive Julia and Darryl anywhere they wanted to go: movie theaters, swimming pools, ice cream shops. Darryl's own mother worked in a laboratory all day, doing research. Even on weekends, she buried her nose in science books. Daryl loved the way his mom could explain mysterious things about the universe and always had interesting trivia to share. But sometimes he wished he had a mom who was a little more . . . well, fun.

One Saturday, Julia and her mom picked up Darryl at his house. They were all going to a big amusement park. Darryl said goodbye to his mom, who was reading.

"Isn't your science project due Monday?" she asked him.

"It's almost done," Darryl said, walking out the door.

At the amusement park, Julia's mom treated them to popcorn and fried dough. They all dared each other to go on the fastest, most dizzying rides in the park. They laughed and screamed all day long. Darryl had a blast.

Darryl woke up with a splitting headache Sunday morning. He groaned at the thought of finishing his science project. He heard his mother making breakfast, the same breakfast she made every Sunday: a vegetable omelet and fresh fruit. Usually Darryl wanted a doughnut for breakfast, but the thought of more junk food made him queasy. His mother's healthy cooking and quiet, studious ways were just what he needed after such a loud and busy day.

After he ate, his mother helped him finish his science project. When Julia called later, asking Darryl if he wanted to come by, he said no. Maybe next weekend he would be ready for more fun, but not now.

Which of the following best describes the main theme or lesson of the story?

• Every person has something important to offer.

• Procrastination lead to stress ad second-rate work.

Too Much Fun

Darryl thought his friend Julia had such a cool mother. She would drive Julia and Darryl anywhere they wanted to go: movie theaters, swimming pools, ice cream shops. Darryl's own mother worked in a laboratory all day, doing research. Even on weekends, she buried her nose in science books. Daryl loved the way his mom could explain mysterious things about the universe and always had interesting trivia to share. But sometimes he wished he had a mom who was a little more . . . well, fun.

One Saturday, Julia and her mom picked up Darryl at his house. They were all going to a big amusement park. Darryl said goodbye to his mom, who was reading.

"Isn't your science project due Monday?" she asked him.

"It's almost done," Darryl said, walking out the door.

At the amusement park, Julia's mom treated them to popcorn and fried dough. They all dared each other to go on the fastest, most dizzying rides in the park. They laughed and screamed all day long. Darryl had a blast.

Darryl woke up with a splitting headache Sunday morning. He groaned at the thought of finishing his science project. He heard his mother making breakfast, the same breakfast she made every Sunday: a vegetable omelet and fresh fruit. Usually Darryl wanted a doughnut for breakfast, but the thought of more junk food made him queasy. His mother's healthy cooking and quiet, studious ways were just what he needed after such a loud and busy day.

After he ate, his mother helped him finish his science project. When Julia called later, asking Darryl if he wanted to come by, he said no. Maybe next weekend he would be ready for more fun, but not now.

Select the quotation from the story that most strongly suggests that the theme is Every person has something important to offer.

• His mother’s healthy cooking and quiet, studious ways were just what he needed after such a loud and busy day.

• Maybe next week he would be ready for more fun, but not now.