Skills Lesson: Theme Practice And Quiz

Read the theme below and answer the question that follows. Good will prevail over evil. Which tone would best advance this theme?

Read the fairy tale below and answer the question that follows. "The Story of the Three Little Pigs" Here was an old sow with three little pigs, and as she had not enough to keep them, she sent them out to seek their fortune. The first that went off met a man with a bundle of straw, and said to him, "Please, man, give me that straw to build me a house." Which the man did, and the little pig built a house with it. Presently came along a wolf, and knocked at the door, and said, "Little pig, little pig, let me come in." To which the pig answered, "No, no, by the hair of my chiny chin chin." The wolf then answered to that, "Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in." So he huffed, and he puffed, and he blew his house in, and ate up the little pig. The second little pig met a man with a bundle of furze [sticks] and said, "Please, man, give me that furze to build a house." Which the man did, and the pig built his house. Then along came the wolf, and said, "Little pig, little pig, let me come in." "No, no, by the hair of my chiny chin chin." "Then I'll puff, and I'll huff, and I'll blow your house in." So he huffed, and he puffed, and he puffed, and he huffed, and at last he blew the house down, and he ate up the little pig. The third little pig met a man with a load of bricks, and said, "Please, man, give me those bricks to build a house with." So the man gave him the bricks, and he built his house with them. So the wolf came, as he did to the other little pigs, and said, "Little pig, little pig, let me come in." "No, no, by the hair on my chiny chin chin." "Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in." Well, he huffed, and he puffed, and he huffed and he puffed, and he puffed and huffed; but he could not get the house down. When he found that he could not, with all his huffing and puffing, blow the house down, he said, "Little pig, I know where there is a nice field of turnips." "Where?" said the little pig. "Oh, in Mr. Smith's home field, and if you will be ready tomorrow morning I will call for you, and we will go together, and get some for dinner." "Very well," said the little pig, "I will be ready. What time do you mean to go?" "Oh, at six o'clock." Well, the little pig got up at five, and got the turnips before the wolf came (which he did about six), who said, "Little pig, are you ready?" The little pig said, "Ready! I have been and come back again, and got a nice potful for dinner." The wolf felt very angry at this, but thought that he would be up to the little pig somehow or other, so he said, "Little pig, I know where there is a nice apple tree." "Where?" said the pig. "Down at Merry Garden," replied the wolf, "and if you will not deceive me I will come for you at five o'clock tomorrow and get some apples." Well, the little pig bustled up the next morning at four o'clock, and went off for the apples, hoping to get back before the wolf came; but he had further to go, and had to climb the tree, so that just as he was coming down from it, he saw the wolf coming, which, as you may suppose, frightened him very much. When the wolf came up he said, "Little pig, what! Are you here before me? Are they nice apples?" "Yes, very," said the little pig. "I will throw you down one." And he threw it so far, that, while the wolf was gone to pick it up, the little pig jumped down and ran home. The next day the wolf came again, and said to the little pig, "Little pig, there is a fair at Shanklin this afternoon, will you go?" "Oh yes," said the pig, "I will go; what time shall you be ready?" "At three," said the wolf. So the little pig went off before the time as usual, and got to the fair, and bought a butter churn, which he was going home with, when he saw the wolf coming. Then he could not tell what to do. So he got into the churn to hide, and by so doing turned it round, and it rolled down the hill with the pig in it, which frightened the wolf so much, that he ran home without going to the fair. He went to the little pig's house, and told him how frightened he had been by a great round thing which came down the hill past him. Then the little pig said, "Ha, I frightened you, then. I had been to the fair and bought a butter churn, and when I saw you, I got into it, and rolled down the hill." Then the wolf was very angry indeed, and declared he would eat up the little pig, and that he would get down the chimney after him. When the little pig saw what he was about, he hung on the pot full of water, and made up a blazing fire, and, just as the wolf was coming down, took off the cover, and in fell the wolf; so the little pig put on the cover again in an instant, boiled him up, and ate him for supper, and lived happy ever afterwards. Source: "The Story of the Three Little Pigs." Gutenberg.org. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2011. Which of the following is a possible theme that can be inferred from "The Story of the Three Little Pigs"?

Read the excerpt below from The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky and answer the questions that follow. It was one of those days that I didn't mind going to school because the weather was so pretty. The sky was overcast with clouds, and the air felt like a warm bath. I don't think I ever felt that clean before. When I got home, I had to mow the lawn for my allowance, and I didn't mind one bit. I just listened to the music, and breathed in the day, and remembered things. Things like walking around the neighborhood and looking at the houses and the lawns and the colorful trees and having that be enough. Source: Chbosky, Stephen. The Perks of Being a Wallflower. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1999. Print. What is the narrator's tone in this excerpt? How does the author develop that tone?

Read the excerpt from the poem "Growing Up Italian" by Maria Mazziotti Gillan and answer the question that follows. When I was a little girl, I thought everyone was Italian, and that was good. We visted our aunts and uncles, and they visted us. The Italian language smooth and sweet in my mouth. In kindergarten, English words fell on me, thick and sharp as hail. I grew silent, the Italian word balanced on the edge of my tongue and the English word, lost during the first moment of every question. Source: Gillan, Maria Mazziotti. "Growing Up Italian." PoetryMagazine.com. Poetry Magazine, n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2011. What is the tone of this poem? What does the tone reveal about the speaker of the poem and the conflict she faces? Based on this excerpt, what can you predict about the theme of the poem?

Read the theme below and answer the question that follows. Humans are vulnerable to the forces of nature. Which description is an example of a conflict and resolution that best supports this theme?

Read the theme below and answer the question that follows. Growing up leads to a discovery of one's true self. Which tone would best advance the theme?

Read the excerpt below from The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky and answer the questions that follow. It was one of those days that I didn't mind going to school because the weather was so pretty. The sky was overcast with clouds, and the air felt like a warm bath. I don't think I ever felt that clean before. When I got home, I had to mow the lawn for my allowance, and I didn't mind one bit. I just listened to the music, and breathed in the day, and remembered things. Things like walking around the neighborhood and looking at the houses and the lawns and the colorful trees and having that be enough. Source: Chbosky, Stephen. The Perks of Being a Wallflower. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1999. Print. How would this passage be different if it had been written in an ironic tone? How would the meaning of the passage change? How might that affect the theme?

Which theme is most likely to be inferred from a story that is focused on an external conflict?

Read the fairy tale below and answer the question that follows. "The Story of the Three Little Pigs" Here was an old sow with three little pigs, and as she had not enough to keep them, she sent them out to seek their fortune. The first that went off met a man with a bundle of straw, and said to him, "Please, man, give me that straw to build me a house." Which the man did, and the little pig built a house with it. Presently came along a wolf, and knocked at the door, and said, "Little pig, little pig, let me come in." To which the pig answered, "No, no, by the hair of my chiny chin chin." The wolf then answered to that, "Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in." So he huffed, and he puffed, and he blew his house in, and ate up the little pig. The second little pig met a man with a bundle of furze [sticks] and said, "Please, man, give me that furze to build a house." Which the man did, and the pig built his house. Then along came the wolf, and said, "Little pig, little pig, let me come in." "No, no, by the hair of my chiny chin chin." "Then I'll puff, and I'll huff, and I'll blow your house in." So he huffed, and he puffed, and he puffed, and he huffed, and at last he blew the house down, and he ate up the little pig. The third little pig met a man with a load of bricks, and said, "Please, man, give me those bricks to build a house with." So the man gave him the bricks, and he built his house with them. So the wolf came, as he did to the other little pigs, and said, "Little pig, little pig, let me come in." "No, no, by the hair on my chiny chin chin." "Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in." Well, he huffed, and he puffed, and he huffed and he puffed, and he puffed and huffed; but he could not get the house down. When he found that he could not, with all his huffing and puffing, blow the house down, he said, "Little pig, I know where there is a nice field of turnips." "Where?" said the little pig. "Oh, in Mr. Smith's home field, and if you will be ready tomorrow morning I will call for you, and we will go together, and get some for dinner." "Very well," said the little pig, "I will be ready. What time do you mean to go?" "Oh, at six o'clock." Well, the little pig got up at five, and got the turnips before the wolf came (which he did about six), who said, "Little pig, are you ready?" The little pig said, "Ready! I have been and come back again, and got a nice potful for dinner." The wolf felt very angry at this, but thought that he would be up to the little pig somehow or other, so he said, "Little pig, I know where there is a nice apple tree." "Where?" said the pig. "Down at Merry Garden," replied the wolf, "and if you will not deceive me I will come for you at five o'clock tomorrow and get some apples." Well, the little pig bustled up the next morning at four o'clock, and went off for the apples, hoping to get back before the wolf came; but he had further to go, and had to climb the tree, so that just as he was coming down from it, he saw the wolf coming, which, as you may suppose, frightened him very much. When the wolf came up he said, "Little pig, what! Are you here before me? Are they nice apples?" "Yes, very," said the little pig. "I will throw you down one." And he threw it so far, that, while the wolf was gone to pick it up, the little pig jumped down and ran home. The next day the wolf came again, and said to the little pig, "Little pig, there is a fair at Shanklin this afternoon, will you go?" "Oh yes," said the pig, "I will go; what time shall you be ready?" "At three," said the wolf. So the little pig went off before the time as usual, and got to the fair, and bought a butter churn, which he was going home with, when he saw the wolf coming. Then he could not tell what to do. So he got into the churn to hide, and by so doing turned it round, and it rolled down the hill with the pig in it, which frightened the wolf so much, that he ran home without going to the fair. He went to the little pig's house, and told him how frightened he had been by a great round thing which came down the hill past him. Then the little pig said, "Ha, I frightened you, then. I had been to the fair and bought a butter churn, and when I saw you, I got into it, and rolled down the hill." Then the wolf was very angry indeed, and declared he would eat up the little pig, and that he would get down the chimney after him. When the little pig saw what he was about, he hung on the pot full of water, and made up a blazing fire, and, just as the wolf was coming down, took off the cover, and in fell the wolf; so the little pig put on the cover again in an instant, boiled him up, and ate him for supper, and lived happy ever afterwards. Source: "The Story of the Three Little Pigs." Gutenberg.org. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2011. What are the motifs that are present in this tale?

What is theme and how does a reader discover theme?

For stories that have a moral, which statement about the theme is true?

What is the author's persona?

What is theme?

If the narrator of a fictional piece is not a character in the story, which statement about the narrator is true?

Read the excerpt below from the novel It by Stephen King and answer the question that follows. Richie had felt a mad, exhilarating kind of energy growing in the room. . . . He thought he recognized the feeling from his childhood, when he felt it everyday and had come to take it merely as a matter of course. He supposed that, if he had ever thought about that deep-running aquifer of energy as a kid (he could not recall that he ever had), he would have simply dismissed it as a fact of life, something that would always be there, like the color of his eyes . . . . Well, that hadn't turned out to be true. The energy you drew on so extravagantly when you were a kid, the energy you thought would never exhaust itself—that slipped away somewhere between eighteen and twenty-four, to be replaced by something much duller . . . purpose, maybe, or goals . . . . Source: King, Stephen. It. New York: Penguin, 1987. Print. Which theme would be advanced by the tone in the above passage best?

How is a motif different from a theme?

The authorial voice is best defined as __________.

Theme is not __________.

The central character who is the focus of interest in a story is the __________.

Which statement is an example of a moral that could be inferred from the story "The Ugly Duckling" by Hans Christian Andersen?