Theme
Self-Portrait
Alia was dismayed to find herself in the drawing studio. She had been sick with the flu during the week when everyone else got to pick their classes. She had hoped for Astronomy or Marine Biology, but they were full by the time she got to choose. She loved everything about science, from the way it used facts and formulas to how it revealed the basic nature of things. But art was so . . .un-scientific.
The first class project was self-portraits. Some students were drawing self-portraits using mirrors. Others were working from photographs. Alia glanced at the incomplete sketches, feeling like a cat in a dog show.
The teacher came up to Alia's easel and sat next to her.
"Every portrait begins with a circle," he said. "Then you create a series of lines."
To demonstrate, he drew a group of small, quick portraits. He began each one with a circle, some straight lines, and a triangle to determine where the eyes, nose, and chin should go. Alia had never thought about it, but the features of everyone's face were in the same spots.
Hesitantly, Alia began her own self-portrait. She drew the basic form of a head, the way she had been shown. From there, she used lines to plot the features of her face. The process took patience and precision. She had to take note of each detail. One wrong measurement could throw off the whole portrait.
Alia was surprised by the structure and discipline involved in drawing a portrait. Measuring, studying details, revealing the basic nature of something—it reminded her of what she loved about science.
What best describes the main theme or lesson of the story?
Don't assume you won't like something until you try it.
What type of figurative language is “The storm had been raging for hours.”
personification
Most people have wondered about the differences between horses and zebras. To understand the difference, you must first understand exactly what a horse is. The horse is a hoofed, plant-eating mammal of the family Equidae. This family includes domestic horses, wild horses, and zebras. All are swift, plains-dwelling herd animals who eat coarse grass.
Horses, as we know them, evolved in North America and spread over the world. They were hunted by early humans and put to work by Asian nomads. Until the mid-20th century, horses were widely used for warfare, agriculture, and transportation. Today, most horses are used for farming purposes. Few modern horses roam wild.
On the other hand, most zebras live in open plains or brush country. Mountain zebras like rocky hillsides. Zebra herds on the Serengeti of East Africa can be as large as 200,000 zebras. All travel in family groups led by a stallion. The plains zebras usually mix with other grazing animals, such as wildebeest and antelopes.
You would have to look at the DNA of horses and zebras to understand their physical differences. Zebras and horses have very similar bodies except for their skins!
How is the passage above organized?
compare and contrast
In 1972, five men broke into offices of the Democratic Party in Washington, D.C. Members of the media and Congress connected the burglary to members of President Nixon's reelection campaign. Nixon and his staff denied the accusations and committed illegal acts to hide the truth. As the House of Representatives debated impeaching Nixon, he resigned in disgrace rather than face a vote of impeachment. This episode will forever be known as the Watergate scandal; named after the office building that was burglarized.
What is this paragraph mostly about?
U.S. Congress
What is the adjective in the sentence below?
Carlos got a call from his distant cousin yesterday when he was sleeping.
distant
The Night-Blooming Cereus
"Can you believe we're finally here?" said Meredith.
"We only had to wait forty years," Katherine replied. "I'm thrilled, too, Mer."
The pair had met in college. Now in their sixties, they were on vacation together in Tucson, Arizona. They were excited to see each other, but the purpose of their trip was to catch sight of the night-blooming cereus, a flower that blooms only once a year at nighttime. They'd learned about it in a botany class in college, and they had always wanted to see it in person. A botanical garden in Tucson had a specimen of the rare flower, which was supposed to bloom that week.
Meredith and Katherine spent the first two days of their trip sightseeing, hiking, and waiting for the big announcement. At last, the botanical garden sent an email update: "We are excited to announce that the Cereus greggii (night-blooming cereus) will bloom this evening. Be prepared for long waits to see the flower."
When the two women arrived at the botanical garden, the line was already stretching around the block. They waited over an hour to glimpse the rare flower. They were hungry and tired—and Meredith wished she'd brought a sweater—but they were still excited.
Finally, it was in sight. In person, the flower was even more magical than they had expected. Barbed, pinkish-white petals ringed the puffy white central bloom. They snapped pictures to send to their families back home.
Meredith and Katherine wanted to see it again the next day, but by morning it had wilted.
"I can't believe how quickly it was over," Katherine remarked.
"But how beautiful!" Meredith said. "And our memory of its bloom—and this trip—will last forever."
What best describes the main theme or lesson of the story?
You often value an experience more when it is rare and short-lived.
Pritee's eyes were glow worms in the dark. She could see the best in every situation. The year she broke her leg before the cheerleading competition, she showed up for practice every morning wearing her cast in order to support her team. Then, she walked like a pendulum. But, she made it to the gym wearing a smile wider than the football field. And, who could forget the time she started a fundraiser for the local animal shelter. Pritee was an inspiration for all of us at Memorial High.
The author uses the phrase "glow worms in the dark" to show Pritee's
A. love for her grandmother.
B. optimistic nature.
C. support for her friends.
D. athletic abilities.
B. optimistic nature.
Have you ever found it difficult to determine whether you have a cold or the flu? Both of these illnesses can make you feel tired or achy, but the severity of your symptoms can help you tell them apart.
A cold can make you feel bad for a few days. It usually starts with a sore throat. This may go away after a day or two. This is followed by a runny nose, a stopped-up, achy chest, and a cough over the next few days. Most adults do not have a fever when they have a cold. Children sometimes do. During the first three days that you have cold symptoms, you are contagious. You should stay home and get rest to avoid passing your germs to others. A cold can be caused by any of several hundred different viruses.
However, the flu can make you feel really ill for days or even weeks. Flu symptoms are more severe than those of a cold. They can include fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, achy chest, and cough. Even though flu symptoms may start to get better after a few days, it is not unusual to feel tired and weak for a week or more.
One common thread between these two illnesses is what you can do to prevent them. Frequently washing your hands and keeping them away from your nose and mouth are the best things you can do to avoid catching a cold or the flu.
Which of the following best describes the text structure of this passage?
C. The author compares and contrasts a cold with the flu.
Every day for four years, I would drive to my job, and every day at the same time, on the same route, I would notice the city bus. It would pull up next to me, and I would see all the people on board. Some would be reading. Some would be sleeping. Some would stare back at me. Every day, at the same time, it would follow me right to work. As I pulled into my parking space at work, I would see it around the corner, about a block away from my job. Then, one day, my car broke down. I had no way to get to work, and then, I remembered the bus. I decided to take it since I knew it was on the same schedule as I was. Since then, I have never driven to work again. Taking the bus is a useful method with which to travel because you can save a lot of money by using public transportation.
One reason public transportation is useful is because it saves money. My commute to work was long, and it required a lot of gas. When I drove to work, I was spending $30 a week on gas. There are 52 weeks in a year. That translates to $1,560.00 a year I was spending on gas to get to work. When I started taking the bus, it cost $2 ($1 to get to work and another $1 to get home). Another way to save money is to use the toll road. That translates to $10 a week. That means that it cost me $520 a year to get to work. That's less than a third of what it cost to drive. It saved me $1,040.00. The funny part is that the reason my car broke down in the first place was because I was driving it constantly.
Cars are not the most reliable way to get to work. Give me text evidence that best supports this idea.
Answers will vary.
ex. Cars tend to break down after they have been driven a lot.
Fix any corrections that need to be made in the following sentence.
We won the championship screamed Linus.
"We won the championship!" screamed Linus.
The theme of good triumphing over evil appears in many classic fairy tales, such as "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and "Goldilocks and the Three Bears." Which of the following stories uses this same theme?
W. A fire-breathing dragon is about to wipe out a mountain town, but Wilford the Wise arrives just in time and tricks the dragon into thinking the townspeople are demons. The dragon runs away scared and never comes back.
X. A young man falls asleep for 100 years, and when he wakes up, he cannot find his home. His mother has been searching through time to find her son, and at last she finds him.
Y. A poor boy, Jonathan, switches places with a rich boy, Jacob, who looks just like him. They each learn about each other's lives and decide they want their old lives back.
Z. A miserly old king won't give his daughters any of his treasures until they prove that they're virtuous. Each daughter goes out into the world to prove this, except for the youngest daughter, Lilith, who stays and takes care of her old father. Lilith is the one the king rewards with all his riches, which she decides to share equally with her sisters.
Story W
Though his business was failing at first, Hamid showed a stubborn desire to succeed. His hard work finally paid off, and today, he is a wealthy businessman.
What does the use of the word stubborn suggest about Hamid?
He is determined
Most people have wondered about the differences between horses and zebras. To understand the difference, you must first understand exactly what a horse is. The horse is a hoofed, plant-eating mammal of the family Equidae. This family includes domestic horses, wild horses, and zebras. All are swift, plains-dwelling herd animals who eat coarse grass.
Horses, as we know them, evolved in North America and spread over the world. They were hunted by early humans and put to work by Asian nomads. Until the mid-20th century, horses were widely used for warfare, agriculture, and transportation. Today, most horses are used for farming purposes. Few modern horses roam wild.
On the other hand, most zebras live in open plains or brush country. Mountain zebras like rocky hillsides. Zebra herds on the Serengeti of East Africa can be as large as 200,000 zebras. All travel in family groups led by a stallion. The plains zebras usually mix with other grazing animals, such as wildebeest and antelopes.
You would have to look at the DNA of horses and zebras to understand their physical differences. Zebras and horses have very similar bodies except for their skins!
What keywords help the reader understand how the passage is organized?
"On the other hand..."
Anchorage, Alaska is one of the largest cities in the U.S., covering over 1,958 square miles. Many large cities cover an area of 100 square miles or less. Anchorage sports many tall buildings, malls, hotels, and bicycle paths. Anchorage received its current name in 1915. Its residents chose "Anchorage" because ships anchored there.
What is the central idea of this paragraph?
the description of Anchorage, Alaska
A free blues concert will take place thursday, august 15 at washington city park.
Thursday, August, Washington City Park
Once upon a time, a tiny mosquito started to buzz round a lion he met. "Go away!" grumbled the sleepy lion, smacking his own cheek in an attempt to drive the insect away.
"Why should I?" demanded the mosquito. "You're king of the jungle, not of the air! I'll fly wherever I want and land wherever I please." And so saying, he tickled the lion's ear. In the hope of crushing the insect, the lion boxed his own ears, but the mosquito slipped away from the now dazed lion.
I don't feel it any more. Either it's squashed or it's gone away, the lion thought. But at that very moment, the irritating buzz began again, and the mosquito flew into the lion's nose. Wild with rage, the lion leaped to his hind legs and started to rain punches on his own nose. But the insect, safe inside, refused to budge. With a swollen nose and watery eyes, the lion gave a terrific sneeze, blasting the mosquito out. Angry at being dislodged so abruptly, the mosquito returned to the attack: BUZZ! BUZZ! It whizzed round the lion's head. Large and tough as the lion was, he could not rid himself of his tiny tormentor. This made him angrier still, and he roared fiercely. At the sound of his terrible voice, all the forest creatures fled in fear, but paying no heed to the exhausted lion, the mosquito said triumphantly, "There you are, king of the jungle! Foiled by a tiny mosquito like me!"
And highly delighted with his victory, off he buzzed. But he did not notice a spider's web hanging close by, and soon he was turning and twisting, trying to escape from the trap set by a large spider. "Bah!" said the spider in disgust, as he ate it.
"Another tiny mosquito. Not much to get excited about, but better than nothing. I was hoping for something more substantial."
And that's what became of the mosquito that foiled the lion!
Give a piece of text evidence that supports the theme that one's size is less important than one's spirit?.
Answers will vary.
ex. "Large and tough as the lion was, he could not rid himself of his tiny tormentor."
Yellow Fields
Looking at the fields of daffodils,
I am envious of the butterflies.
They flutter, fly and feel the flowers
the way my tender touch cannot compete.
Which line contains an example of alliteration?
line 3
The SS James B. Stephens was an American liberty ship in World War II. In 1943, the ship was traveling in Suez when it was torpedoed by the German submarine U-160 about 150 miles northeast of Durban.
One torpedo struck, igniting the fuel oil in storage, and the ship began to sink by the front end. A second torpedo struck and broke the ship in two. Both sections remained afloat, but the ship was on fire. The crew began to abandon ship. The explosion of the second torpedo overturned the motor lifeboat. The other lifeboats were able to pick up all of the men in the water except for one man who was not wearing a life jacket and could not swim. He drowned before he could be rescued.
An Allied warship sank the back section of the James B. Stephens with gunfire. A British warship attempted to take the front section in tow to Durban, but it sank while under tow in heavy seas. Of a total crew of 63, 62 were rescued. A crewman, Edward F. Racine, was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for righting the overturned motor lifeboat.
Essays and news stories are often organized by cause and effect. According to this passage, what caused the crew to abandon the ship?
torpedoes
Most people want to think that they are in control of their pets. However, a study by Karen McComb at the University of Sussex found that cat owners are controlled by their cats. Cat owners probably won’t have too much trouble believing this. Cats make a fairly loud noise by mixing a purr with a cry. The sound seems to be less annoying to humans than straight meowing. Using this sound, cats tell humans when they want to eat and when they want the door opened. The purr part of the sound keeps humans from becoming too annoyed, so the cat gets exactly what he or she wants.
Give text evidence from the paragraph that supports the idea that cats have a smart way of getting what they want.
Answers will vary.
ex. "The purr part of the sound keeps humans from becoming too annoyed."
(1) Each autumn, Preswick, a small Midwestern town, presents a Shakespearean play. (2) The play features the talents of many citizens around the town. (3) Some citizens will be actors while others will design stage sets. (4) This year, the town will perform Romeo and Juliet. (5) The performance will surely be spectacular.
Which sentence from the passage contains a prepositional phrase?
sentence 2
Passage:
The storm had been raging for hours, and Kyle couldn’t remember the last time he had seen the sky. The wind howled, the rain came in sheets, and the darkness seemed to wrap around him like a blanket. He huddled in the small cabin, waiting for the storm to pass. His thoughts raced back to the night before, when his father had left for the mountains, promising to return by morning. That promise now seemed distant, as the storm showed no signs of letting up. Kyle’s hands trembled, but he refused to leave. He knew his father was out there somewhere, and despite the overwhelming fear in his chest, he would wait as long as it took.
What theme does this passage explore, and how does the author use Kyle’s thoughts and actions to develop it? Provide evidence from the text to support your answer.
Theme example: Always keep hope in times of uncertainty. The love of family is greater than any fear.
Kyle's determination to wait for his father, despite the fear and the overwhelming storm, demonstrates his resilience and hope.
We were all excited to go out to a buffet for dinner as a family. I knew that I could fill my plate with the perfect combination of my favorite foods. The only problem was that I had trouble deciding what would be just right, and eventually I could sense the line growing behind me. I knew there was an issue when my brother had no time for my pickiness. He said, “Hey Goldilocks, let’s move it; there’s always a chance for seconds!”
Read the sentence.
He said, “Hey Goldilocks, let’s move it; there’s always a chance for seconds!”
What is the sentence an example of?
Allusion
Passage:
The small town of Willow Creek had always been known for its peaceful atmosphere. However, recently, the local river began to flood every time it rained heavily, damaging homes and causing distress among the residents. Many families were forced to evacuate their homes, and the town's infrastructure was at risk. The mayor, along with a team of engineers, quickly realized that something needed to be done. They proposed the construction of a large barrier to redirect the water and prevent the flooding from continuing. The town rallied together, gathering resources and support to get the project underway. After several months of hard work, the barrier was completed, and Willow Creek was once again safe from floods.
What is the strucure of this text? Provide text evidence to support your answer.
Problem-solution
What is the difference between central idea and theme?
Theme is the moral of the story that can be applied to life and not specific to the story, while central idea is what the story or passage is about.
After he ate a few grapes at the produce section without paying for them, Paul had a guilty consceince. He walked over to the store manager and confessed his crime, which made him feel better.
Consceince is misspelled. How do you spell it correctly.
Conscience