Theme
Mr. Pig and Mr. Dog were hanging out at the food court of the animal shopping mall. Mr. Pig was eating a huge feast of pizza and drinking a large jug of fruit punch and Mr. Dog was watching him eat. "Hey, Mr. Pig. If you give me a slice of your pizza, I'll let you have the next bone I find." Mr. Pig declined, even though it hurt his stomach to eat the last three slices of pizza. "I'm sorry, Mr. Dog," Mr. Pig said, "but I paid for this pizza and it's all mine." Mr. Dog sighed and waited for Mr. Pig to finish, and then they left the animal mall together. On the way out, a hunter spotted them and gave chase. Mr. Pig normally could have escaped the hunter but since he was weighed down by such a large meal, Mr. Pig collapsed and the hunter killed him. Mr. Dog easily escaped. Later that night while returning to the scene, Mr. Dog caught the scent of something delicious and began digging around a trash can. He found a large ham bone with lots of meat and marrow still stuck to the bone. Mr. Dog happily ate.
What is the theme of the story?
What is... It is better not to share and not be greedy?
Read the following example, then decide the best definition of the bolded word.
After careful consideration, I was able to discern the underlying meaning behind my friend's confession. She seemed to say one thing, but really meant another.
1. to constantly put forth effort
2. to find something unexpectedly
3. to come to know or understand
4. to cause someone to feel revulsion
What is... to come to know or understand?
"You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise."
This excerpt shows an example of what?
1. Allusion
2. Alliteration
3. Rhyme
4. Antonyms
What is... Rhyme?
This following excerpt contains an example of which type of figurative language?
"Jerry's mind wandered during class
Like a balloon floating up in the air.
While he daydreamed about eating lunch
His stomach growled loud like a bear.
His classmates laughed like hyenas,
Which made him feel like a fool.
From now on he'd listen to his mom
And eat breakfast before coming to school."
1. Metaphor
2. Allusion
3. Simile
4. Personification
What is... simile?
What is pathos?
1. when the speaker appeals to the reader by using logic (numbers, data, logical reasoning)
2. when the speaker appeals to the reader's emotions
3. when the speaker appeals to the reader by stating their credibility
4. when the speaker remains completely unbiased and doesn't use any persuasive techniques
What is... when the speaker appeals to the reader's emotions?
The Ant and the Grasshopper
In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest. "Why not come and chat with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling and moiling in that way?" "I am helping to lay up food for the winter," said the Ant, "and recommend you to do the same." "Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper; we have got plenty of food at present." But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil. When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food and found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing every day corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer. Then the Grasshopper knew.
What is the moral of this story?
What is... Work now and play later?
Read the following example, then decide the best definition of the bolded word.
After yelling at my sister, she tentatively emerged from the bathroom when I knocked on the bathroom door.
1. with grace and elegance
2. confidently
3. in a way that lacks confidence; hesitantly
4. with respect
What is... in a way that lacks confidence; hesitantly?
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
"For the sky and the sea, and the sea and the sky
Lay dead like a load on my weary eye"
This excerpt shows an example of what?
1. Assonance
2. Alliteration
3. Meter
4. Onomatopoeia
What is... alliteration?
This following excerpt contains an example of which type of figurative language?
“Because I could not stop for Death –
He kindly stopped for me –
The Carriage held but just Ourselves –
And Immortality.”
- “Because I could not stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson
1. Allusion
2. Metaphor
3. Simile
4. Personification
What is... Personification?
What is a symbol?
1. a reference to an existing work
2. the underlying message of a text
3. something that represents something else
4. a story within a story
What is... something that represents something else?
Little Things
by Ebeneze Cobham Brewer
Little drops of water,
Little grains of sand,
Make the mighty ocean
And the pleasant land.
Thus the little minutes,
Humble though they be,
Make the mighty ages
Of eternity.
"Little Things" shares a message with readers. Which choice best represents that message?
What is... The small things are as important as the big things?
So that her highborn kinsmen came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.
Read the following example, then decide the best definition of the bolded word.
1. grave or tomb
2. a house
3. supple
4. soft pillow
What is... a grave or tomb?
Bells by Edgar Allan Poe
Hear the mellow wedding bells,
Golden bells!
What a world of happiness their harmony foretells!
This excerpt shows an example of what?
1. Alliteration
2. Assonance
3. Metaphor
4. Iambic Pentameter
What is... assonance?
This following excerpt contains an example of which type of figurative language?
“But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? / It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.”
—Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare
1. Simile
2. Metaphor
3. Personification
4. Hyperbole
What is... Metaphor?
What are our strategies in order to find the theme? We should look for...
1. Conflicts
2. Character's Desires
3. Symbols
4. All of the above
What is... All of the above?
Devin kept a low profile in school. He attended classes and talked with his friends in the hall, but few knew him well. He rarely raised his hand in class and never spoke out of turn. Even in band class, he refused to draw attention to himself. Though he had earned the honor of first-chair saxophone, he did not reveal his passion for his instrument to his classmates.
Then, sophomore year, Devin joined the marching band despite his fear of public scrutiny. The night of the first football game, his palms were sweating and his heart was racing as the band marched onto the field. But as soon as he began to play, his fears were forgotten, and through the glare of the lights he could see the crowd swaying and clapping to the music. Devin was completely at ease during his solo, and after the game a friend told him, "You were great! I didn't know you had it in you."
What other theme is addressed in the passage?
What is... It is important to take risks?
Read the following example, then decide the best definition of the bolded word.
"The wind blew in his face, and he squinted his eyes as dirt and debris flew through the air. He could see the funnel cloud in the distance. As it got closer, he could see that is was about to hit the ground. Scanning his surroundings, he saw a ditch which led to a low bridge. He was known for his shrewd decision making, and ushered his friends into a ditch, leading them to safety."
1. cheerful
2. ill-tempered
3. clever awareness
4. reckless
What is... clever awareness?
"For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;"
This excerpt shows an example of what?
1. Alliteration
2. Assonance
3. Metaphor
4. Iambic Pentameter
What is... assonance?
This following excerpt contains an example of which type of figurative language?
"Well now, one winter it was so cold that all the geese flew backward and all the fish moved south and even the snow turned blue. Late at night, it got so frigid that all spoken words froze solid afore they could be heard. People had to wait until sunup to find out what folks were talking about the night before."
-Babe the Blue Ox Retold by S.E. Schlosser
1. Simile
2. Idiom
3. Personification
4. Hyperbole
What is... Hyperbole?
What is ethos?
1. when the speaker appeals to the reader by using logic (numbers, data, logical reasoning)
2. when the speaker appeals to the reader's emotions
3. when the speaker appeals to the reader by stating their credibility
4. when the speaker remains completely unbiased and doesn't use any persuasive techniques
What is... when the speaker appeals to the reader by stating their credibility?
Liam's first job at the fast-food chain was not glamorous. He worked early-morning shifts, loading biscuits into ovens and dipping countless batches of hash-browned potatoes into vats of grease. Every day he encountered harried, impolite customers and complaining coworkers; nevertheless, he maintained a positive outlook. Liam methodically completed his duties: wrapping sandwiches, filling orders, and cleaning his work space. Liam's manager appreciated his diligence, and by his third month of employment, he was no longer assigned to the pre-dawn shift. Within a year, Liam was an assistant manager earning double his initial pay.
Theme One: Every job is worth doing well.
What other theme is addressed in the passage?
What is... Hard work is often rewarded?
1. A teammate
2. A sibling
3. Enemy
4. Best friend
What is... Enemy?
"Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year."
This excerpt shows an example of what?
1. Antonyms
2. Allusion
3. Assonance
4. Meter
What is meter?
This following excerpt contains an example of which type of figurative language?
"Heaven is my judge, not I for love and duty,
But seeming so, for my peculiar end;
For when my outward action doth demonstrate
The native act and figure of my heart
In compliment extern, ’tis not long after
But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve
For daws to peck at. I am not what I am."
-Shakespeare's Othello
1. Simile
2. Idiom
3. Personification
4. Hyperbole
What is... Idiom?
Night vs Day
Good vs Evil
Peace vs War
These relationships show an example of which of the following?
1. Synonym
2. Onomatopoeia
3. Juxtaposition
4. Frame narrative
What is... juxtaposition?
def: the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect