Theme Passages
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?
A. Jessica should have been less messy if she wanted to make friends.
B. Don’t eat when you’re over at a friend’s house.
C. You should always respect other people’s property.
C. You should always respect other people's property.
“Let’s open the presents! I hope that you got me everything I wanted!” Emma exclaimed to her parents. When Emma opened up the first present, she threw it on the ground. “I wanted the gold belt, not the ugly silver belt.” When Emma opened up the next present, she made a face as she held it up. “This isn’t the newest edition! This is the cheaper one. I’ll have to return it.” Emma continued to complain about every present she received from her parents. Emma’s parents were furious and decided to return all of Emma’s presents to the store. Clearly, Emma didn’t need to receive any presents for her birthday.
What is the theme of this passage?
A. Parents can always take away the presents that they give you.
B. Be thankful for the things that you receive.
C. Always say “thank you” after receiving each present.
B. Be thankful for the things that you receive.
“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’d 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?
A. Children should keep their rooms clean at all times.
B. It’s better to do things correctly the first time.
C. Stephen should have listened to his mother the first time.
B. It’s better to do things correctly the first time.
Sarah and her twin sister Laura took gymnastics. Everything in gymnastics came much more easily to Sarah than it did to Laura. Because Sarah was so flexible, she didn’t even have to work hard to master her tricks. In competition, Sarah always won first place without much effort. Laura, on the other hand, had to practice everyday to master even the most basic tricks and never placed in competition. Finally, after years of hard work, Laura took third place at a competition for the first time. Even though Sarah still beat her, Laura was so excited that she wore her medal proudly around her neck for the whole week.
What is the theme of this passage?
A. You appreciate things more when you have to work for them.
B. Third place is just as good as first place.
C. Twins shouldn’t try to compete with one another.
A. You appreciate things more when you have to work for them.
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 stay 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?
A. Don’t put things off until the last minute.
B. Everybody has to deal with bad luck at one time or another.
C. Liza didn’t get to go to the hockey game because she had to finish her report.
A. Don’t put things off until the last minute.
Brynn and Nicole were unhappy when Mrs. Bair assigned them to be partners for a project. Because they didn’t get along, they decided to work separately on different parts of the project. When the draft was due, Brynn noticed that the design and artwork of Nicole’s part was much better than hers. Nicole noticed that Brynn had done a lot of research and that her writing was stronger than hers. Seeing each other’s strengths, Brynn asked Nicole if she wanted to work together on the final draft. That way, they could each focus on what they did best. In the end, their project received the highest grade in the class.
What is the theme of this passage?
A. Working together can lead to a better result.
B. There’s always a way to get along with someone else.
C. Brynn and Nicole should have worked together from the beginning.
A. Working together can lead to a better result.
Anthony and his classmates decided to play basketball at recess. During the game, Anthony wanted to prove that he was the best player of all. Every time Anthony got the ball, he dribbled it all around the court until he could shoot and make the basket. He never even looked to see if anyone else on his team was open. He just ignored his teammates when they yelled, “Pass!” Because Anthony scored a lot of points for his team during that game, he figured that everyone would want him to be on their team from now on. The next day, Anthony stood there as everyone around him got chosen first.
What is the theme of this passage?
A. People will be jealous of you if you’re the best.
B. Players should always pass the ball to their teammates.
C. Don’t be greedy.
C. Don’t be greedy.
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?
A. Jessica should have been less messy if she wanted to make friends.
B. Don’t eat when you’re over at a friend’s house.
C. You should always respect other people’s property.
C. You should always respect other people’s property.
When Darcy was eighteen, she wanted to dance on Broadway. When she went to her first audition, she was told that she would never get a job as a dancer because she didn’t have the proper technique. Darcy didn’t let this stop her. In fact, she became even more determined. For the next few months, Darcy took every dance lesson that she could attend in New York in order to keep improving her technique. She studied from the best teachers and danced everyday, even when she was exhausted. A year later, Darcy signed a contract to dance in her first Broadway show.
What is the theme of this passage?
A. Determination is the key to success.
B. Don’t let someone else’s negative comments get you down.
C. Take lots of dance classes if you want to dance on Broadway.
A. Determination is the key to success.
Kelvin wanted to play football professionally when he grew up. Because he only cared about football, Kelvin rarely paid much attention in school. Even when his teachers told him that he should work hard in school so that he’d have a back-up plan in case his football career didn’t work out, Kelvin replied, “ No thanks! I don’t need a back-up plan.” When Kelvin’s senior year of high school came around, he only applied for colleges where he could play football. When he wasn’t selected to play football at those colleges, he had no other options. Kelvin was stuck at home while all of his friends went to college.
What is the theme of this passage?
A. Do well in school.
B. Kelvin had no options because he didn’t take his teachers’ advice.
C. It’s always a good idea to have a back-up plan.
C. It’s always a good idea to have a back-up plan.