Theme vs. Central Idea
Matching Quotes with theme
Fables, Myths, and Folktales
Theme Development
Fables, Myths, and Folktales 2
100
True or False:
Theme and Central Idea are the same thing.
FALSE.
100
Which theme best matches with the quote from the story Hatchet: " A hundred funny cartoons he had seen about skunks... but when the spray hit there was nothing funny about it - he was completely blind for almost two hours."
1. Taking time to build something makes it more meaningful.
2. Nature is harsher in real life.
3. Feeling sorry for yourself won't solve your problems.
4. Skunk spray is bad for your eyes.
2. Nature is harsher in real life.
100
Why the Spider Has Long, Thin Legs
Long ago there lived a spider named Anansi who had eight short legs. He was always hungry.
One day he visited Rabbit's house. Rabbit was cooking wonderful-smelling greens. He invited Anansi to stay and eat, but Anansi wanted to try other animals' foods, too. Anansi decided to spin a web and tie his leg to the pot. When the greens were done, Rabbit would tug on the web to tell Anansi to come and eat.
Next, Anansi visited Monkey's home. Monkey was cooking beans. Anansi tied another leg to Monkey's pot. Now Monkey could tug on the web when the beans were ready.
On he went until he had visited eight friends and tied each of his eight legs to eight different pots. Suddenly, he felt a tug on one leg. Then he felt another, and another. Soon all eight legs were being tugged in different directions. Ouch! Anansi finally untied his legs, which were now stretched long and thin. He went home to rest, still hungry.
What is the main theme or lesson of the folktale?
1. If you wait long enough, you will get what you want
2. If you are greedy, you may end up with nothing.
3. Be careful what you wish for.
4. Hard work will pay off in the end.
2. If you are greedy, you may end up with nothing.
100
What type of theme development is used? "Is hazing OK? Michael thought to himself."
1. Character Change
2. Character Thoughts
3. Character Actions
4. Again and Again
2. Character Thoughts
100
Achilles and the River Styx
Once there was a great warrior named Achilles. When Achilles was a baby, his mother dipped him in the River Styx. The river's magical water could protect a person from any harm.
There was one problem, though. Achilles's mother held him by the heel when she dipped him in the river. His heel never got wet, and so his heel was not protected by the water's magic.
After Achilles grew up, a war began between the Greeks and a city called Troy. Achilles was the most powerful fighter of all the Greeks. Troy was a great city with strong, high walls, and the Greeks had trouble capturing it. But as long as Achilles was fighting for the Greeks, the people of Troy could not drive them away. The war went on for ten years. The fierce Achilles seemed impossible to beat.
Finally, the prince of Troy shot an arrow at Achilles. The arrow hit Achilles right in his heel, his one weak spot. Achilles was killed by the arrow, and the Greeks lost their great hero.
What is the main theme or lesson of the myth?
1. It's better to live and die than to live forever.
2. The life of a soldier or fighter always ends sadly.
3. Even the strongest people have weak points
4. Cheating with magic isn't fair.
3. Even the strongest people have weak points
200
This is the main point or what the story is mostly about
Central Idea
200
Which theme best matches with the quote from the story Bridge to Terabithia: " As for the terrors ahead - for he did not fool himself that they were all be hid him - well, you just have to stand up to your fear and not let it squeeze you white."
1. Jesse has to face his fear.
2. Success creates a desire for more success.
3. Learning to face the things that scare you is a part of life.
4. A good companion can show you new things about yourself.
3. Learning to face the things that scare you is a part of life.
200
Why the Bat Flies at Night
Once upon a time, there was a war between the animals of the air and the animals of the land. The eagle would hunt and eat the rabbit. The owl was never safe from the fox.The bat had wings like the flying animals, but it had teeth like the land animals. Unsure which side to join, the bat joined whichever side was winning. When the air animals were ahead, the bat fought along with the air animals. When the land animals won a battle, the bat joined them.After many years, both sides decided to end the war. There was peace across the earth. But the animals could not forget what the bat had done. Both the air animals and the land animals felt tricked by the bat. They decided to drive the bat away.And that is why the bat hides away during the day and goes out only at night.What is the main theme or lesson of the fable?
1. People shouldn't go to war to settle their differences.
2. People who aren't true to their friends will end up with no one.
3. War will solve nothing.
4. It is better to be on the winning side than to be on the right side.
2. People who aren't true to their friends will end up with no one.
200
Random Trivia!
Where is the smallest bone in the human body found?
In the ear. The Stapes is the smallest bone, located in the ear.
200
The Great Stone Bowl
Long ago in Japan, a prince wanted to marry a lovely princess. She wouldn't marry him unless he brought her a beautiful stone bowl that was kept in a temple in India.The prince was lazy. When he found out it would take three years to travel to India and back, he decided he would never go. Instead, he went to a nearby city and stayed there for three years.At the end of that time, he found an old stone bowl. He wrapped it in a piece of fine silk cloth. He wrote a letter to the princess, telling of his long, hard journey searching for the bowl. Then he sent the bowl and the letter to the princess.When the princess read the letter, she felt sorry for the prince. Then she untied the cloth and found a plain, dirty stone bowl, which she knew was not the beautiful bowl from India. The princess knew that the prince had lied to her. She sent the bowl and the letter back to him, and the prince never saw her again.What is the main theme or lesson of the fairy tale?
1. Things are not always as they appear to be.
2. If you are lazy, you won't get what you want.
3. If you want something done well, do it yourself.
4. Princesses want nice gifts if they are going to marry you.
2. If you are lazy, you won't get what you want.
300
This is the lesson learned or moral of the story
Theme
300
Which theme best matches with the quote from the story Percy Jackson: "In a strange way, I was glad that Poseidon was so distant. If he'd tried to apologize... it wouldn've felt fake.
1. Love is believing in people's strengths
2. There are some things you must face alone.
3. Don't pretend to feel something you don't.
4. Percy is angry at Poseidon for being a neglectful father.
3. Don't pretend to feel something you don't.
300
Daedalus and Icarus
Daedalus and his son Icarus were trapped on the island of Crete by King Minos. One day Daedalus saw a flock of birds in the sky. This gave him an idea. He would make two pairs of wings so that they could escape from the island.
For weeks Daedalus gathered all the feathers he could find on the ground. He glued them together with wax. Finally, he and Icarus put on the wings. Daedalus told Icarus, "Do not fly too close to the sun, or the wax will melt."
Daedalus and Icarus flapped their arms as fast as they could. They soared into the sky! As they flew upward, the island of Crete grew smaller below them. But Icarus was so excited about flying that he kept going higher and higher. "No, Icarus, no!" Daedalus shouted.
It was too late. The sun had already begun to melt the wax. The feathers blew away, and Icarus fell into the sea.
What is the main theme or lesson of the myth?
1. Don't be too bold.
2. Icarus didn't listen to his father's warnings.
3. Freedom comes at a cost
4. You have to be creative to escape an island.
1. Don't be too bold.
300
What type of theme development is used? "The darkness was like a blanket in the cold winter night, but I wasn't afraid. I finally felt peace."
1. Again and Again
2. Wise Words
3. Setting
4. Conflict
3. Setting
300
Abdullah's Gold
Once there was a very rich man named Abdullah. He was afraid people would rob him if they knew he was rich, so he pretended to be poor. He wore old clothes and spent little money. Living that way was easy for him since he hated to part with his money.
One day, however, he decided to spend his money on a huge piece of gold. He didn't want people to know about the gold, so he buried it. Every day he came to the hole and stared at his gold.
Over time, people noticed Abdullah visiting the same spot day after day. Soon someone found the gold and took it home.
On Abdullah's next visit, he found the hole empty. His gold was gone! He fell to the ground and cried.
A neighbor heard Abdullah crying. "If you miss your gold so much, drop a big rock in the hole. You can stare at that."
"How can you make fun of me?" cried Abdullah.
"I'm not making fun of you," the neighbor said. "When you had the gold, you didn't actually use it. You just stared at it. You might as well stare at a rock."
What is the main theme or lesson of the folktale?
1. Share what you have with others.
2. It is better to be poor and happy than rich and sad.
3. Money isn't useful if you don't do anything with it.
4. Saving money is more important than spending money.
3. Money isn't useful if you don't do anything with it.
400
Random Trivia!!!
What is the official national animal of Scotland?
A. Armadillo
B. Carp (Fish)
C. Unicorn
D. Spotted Frog
E. Big Horned Sheep
400
Which theme best matches with the quote from the story Wonder: "We could all wear masks all the time. Then we could walk around and get to know each other before we got to see what we looked like under the masks."
1. Augie wished that he didn't have to look different from others.
2. Judge people based on who they are, not how they appear.
3. Our actions can influence people for a long time.
4. It can be comforting to hide from others.
2. Judge people based on who they are, not how they appear.
400
The Fox and the Stork
There once was a clever fox who loved playing tricks. He invited his friend the stork over for dinner one day. When dinner was served, the poor bird saw that the meal was soup served in a flat dish. Try as she might, the stork could not drink the soup with her long, thin beak.
"I'm sorry you aren't enjoying the dinner," the fox said, laughing to himself over his trick.
"Oh, it's no problem at all," the stork said, acting very polite. "You must join me for dinner next time."
Soon the stork invited the fox to her house for dinner. The fox had worked hard all day and was very hungry. But when the stork brought out the food, the fox got a surprise. The dinner was served in tall, narrow jars. With her long beak, the stork had no trouble gobbling up the tasty food. The fox's mouth did not fit in the jar, so he went home hungry.
What is the main theme or lesson of the fable?
1. Even though people are different, they can still be friends.
2. Expect others to treat you the way you treat them.
3. Playing tricks on others can lead to retaliation.
4. It is important to eat from the right type of dish.
2. Expect others to treat you the way you treat them.
400
What type of theme development is used? "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can..."
1. Tough Questions
2. Again and Again
3. Setting
4. Conflict
2. Again and Again
400
The Story of Wountie
One day a man went to the river to fish. He saw many fish in the river and hoped to catch enough to last through the winter. He thanked the spirits of the fish for feeding his family and cast his net into the river. When he pulled out the net, it was filled with enough fish for the year. He packed the fish in baskets.
The man was about to leave but then decided to try again. He cast his net into the river and waited. When he took it out, it was again filled with fish. He could not believe his luck.
Why not try it one more time? he thought. He cast the net into the river a third time. This time, though, when he took out the net, it was not filled with fish. It was filled with sticks and was torn to pieces. The fish he had packed away into baskets on shore also had turned into sticks.
The man looked up and saw Wountie, the spirit that protects the river. Wountie said, "You have broken the trust of the river. The river provides fish for everyone."
The fisherman went home to his family without any fish.
What is the main theme or lesson of the legend?
1. If you have no luck at first, keep trying.
2. Do not take more than you need.
3. If you respect nature, you will be rewarded.
4. The man went fishing and didn't catch any fish.
2. Do not take more than you need.
500
Look at the list of questions. What will these questions help you determine?
What important part of life is the story about?
How did the characters grow or change?
What message is the author trying to send?
Theme
500
Which theme best matches with the quote from the story Flowers for Algernon: "There are a lot of people who will give money or materials, but very few who will give time and affection."
1. You should give money to those in need.
2. Learning should help you examine your beliefs.
3. Progress is based on the work of others.
4. The most meaningful gift is showing that you care.
4. The most meaningful gift is showing that you care.
500
The Monkey and the Dolphin
A group of sailors set sail on a long voyage. They brought along a monkey to keep them company. After several weeks at sea, there was a terrible storm. The choppy waves tossed around the small ship, and both the sailors and the monkey were thrown into the sea.
A dolphin saw the monkey in the water and rescued him. The dolphin swam to a nearby island, carrying the monkey on her back. When they arrived at the island, the dolphin asked, "Have you been here before?"
The monkey said, "Yes, I have. Actually, I am the king of this island." Of course, that was not true. In fact, no one lived on the island at all.
The dolphin replied, "Good. Then you no longer need me." And she swam off, leaving the monkey stuck on the island.
What is the main theme or lesson of the fable?
1. Never trust someone you don't know well.
2. The monkey lied to the dolphin and therefore was left alone on the island.
3. Boasting and lying can get you into trouble.
4. Don't travel with a monkey.
3. Boasting and lying can get you into trouble.
500
What type of theme development is used? "His bully-like words no longer had an effect on me. I was strong again."
1. Character Thoughts
2. Character Actions
3. Conflict
4. Tough Questions
3. Conflict
500
A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
Once upon a time, there was a very hungry wolf. He liked nothing more than to feast on a nice, tasty sheep. But the wolf could never get to the sheep because the shepherd was always watching the flock.
One day the wolf saw a sheepskin lying near the field where the shepherd kept the sheep. This gave him an idea. He put on the sheepskin and walked into the field. The shepherd did not notice the wolf dressed up like a sheep. The wolf was able to lead a lamb away from the flock and eat it for dinner.
The next day the wolf went back for another meal. He put on the sheepskin and joined the flock. But the wolf was not the only one hungry this time. The shepherd was planning his dinner and needed a sheep for a stew. So he picked up his knife and went into the flock. The first sheep he came across was really the wolf, who ended up in the shepherd's pot that night.
What is the main theme or lesson of the fable?
1. Tricking others will only hurt you in the end.
2. If you lie, people will stop trusting you
3. Being clever will get you what you want.
1. Tricking others will only hurt you in the end.