Name: ______________________________
Theme Worksheet 7

Directions: Determine what the theme is for each story and explain your answer. Remember, a theme is a lesson or message in the story. Write in complete sentences.

1. When Curtis transferred to our high school from some fancy private school, I was assigned the job of showing him around our building. First, I showed him our trophy case. Our school has done put together some quality teams and programs over the years, so our trophy case was pretty full. Curtis was not impressed. He claimed that the trophy case was at least twice as big as ours and much more crowded. Next I showed him our swimming pool. Not every high school has a swimming pool, so we were proud of ours, but Curtis couldn't care less. "The swimming pool at my old school is bigger and more modern. This one looks kind of dirty," he said with disdain. I continued to guide Curtis around the school, showing him our cafeteria, gymnasium, and even our garden, but Curtis seemed disappointed with everything that he saw. He'd quickly compare it to his old school, which in his words was superior to ours in every way. The last thing I showed Curtis was the front door. I told him that he would like this one best because he could walk through it and go back to his old school.

What is the theme of the story? __________________________________________________________

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What happens in the story that leads you to believe this? ______________________________________

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2. Alan had very few responsibilities, but one of them was to clean his room. It did not take long, but Alan still didn't like doing it. One day Alan thought of a way to save some time. Rather than putting everything neatly back in its place, he decided to just throw all the stuff on the floor into his closet. His mom would think that he had cleaned his room, and it would only take a fraction of the time. Alan was pleased with himself for thinking of this brilliant idea. He figured that this would save a lot of time and energy. The next time his room got messy, he piled everything up in the closet and the pile grew. It grew and grew. Then Alan's friend Steve called. "Alan, everyone is playing baseball at the park. Do you want to play too?" Alan loved baseball. "That sounds great, Steve. I'll be right there." Alan went to grab his baseball mitt when he realized that it wasn't in its usual place. Alan thought to himself, I guess it's in the closet. When he opened up the closet door, he was faced with a huge, unnavigable mess, some of which poured out as he opened the door. Alan began digging through the pile in a frantic attempt to find his mitt. He dug and dug, and as he dug his room got messier and messier. Soon his room was the messiest that it had ever been, and he still hadn't found his mitt. Alan sighed in despair. By the time he found his mitt, the boys had long concluded their game and Alan had hours of cleaning ahead of him before he'd be allowed to leave. 

What is the theme of the story? __________________________________________________________

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What happens in the story that leads you to believe this? ______________________________________

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3. Dan and Doug led the journalism club. While Dan was generally regarded as a better writer than Doug, Doug was invaluable to the publication for his investigative skills. Together, they had uncovered a scandal in the cafeteria that had been dubbed "Horsemeat-Gate." Due to Dan and Doug's compelling story, interest in the high school paper grew. Dan was even interviewed by the local paper. During the interview Dan spoke at length about all he had done to write the story. He failed to mention Doug's involvement. Doug felt slighted and confronted Dan, but Dan asserted that he was the main writer of the story and therefore deserved the credit. Shortly after the blowout, Doug left the journalism club. The people of the town were interested in the high school paper, but without Doug's knack for finding good stories, the quality of the paper diminished and so did interest in the paper. Now that his popularity surge had ended, Dan had more time to think. He reasoned that they'd still be on top of the world if Doug hadn't been so stubborn and selfish.

What is the theme of the story? __________________________________________________________

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What happens in the story that leads you to believe this? ______________________________________

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4. Lucas swung his fist as hard as he could and hit William between the shoulder blades. William cringed and moaned. He was a grade younger than Lucas and forty pounds lighter. "That's what you get for sitting on my swing, crybaby," Lucas said with anger in his eyes and hatred in his heart. "If you tell on me, I'll hit you twice as hard!" Lucas shouted at William as he ran off crying. Lucas enjoyed bullying William. It was easy to do and it made Lucas feel strong and good about himself. As he was regaling in his easy victory over the fragile William, Lucas felt a sharp sting in between his shoulder blades as he was knocked from the swing. "Ugh!" He shouted as he sprawled across the soft rubber playground tiles. Lucas looked up to see Craig. Craig was a grade older than Lucas and at least forty pounds heavier. "That's what you get for bullying little kids, coward," Craig said with anger in his eyes and justice in his heart. "If I see you put your hands on another little kid out here, or anywhere else, I'm going to hit you twice as hard!" Craig shouted at Lucas as he ran off crying. 

What is the theme of the story? __________________________________________________________

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What happens in the story that leads you to believe this? ______________________________________

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5. "I like him so much, but I get the feeling that he doesn't like me anymore," Maria confided in her friend Cassandra. "Well, just break up with him," Cassandra replied. "Yeah, but it's not that easy…" Maria tried to explain. "Of course it is," Cassandra countered, and then she left to talk to Kirsty, leaving Maria puzzled. "What's up, Kirsty?" Cassandra asked. "I'm a little bummed out, Cassandra," Kirsty said. "If I don't pass math class, I'm not going to graduate." Cassandra smiled, "Oh, well that's easy." She continued, "Just do all of your homework and ace all of the tests and you'll pass," Cassandra answered smugly. Kirsty frowned, "Yeah, but you don't understand, Cassandra. I'm not good at math. It's very hard for me." Cassandra laughed, "Nonsense, Kirsty. Just do it." Kirsty replied, "Uh, yeah, thanks…" and Cassandra went on to talk to Jenny, who was crying. "What's wrong, Jenny?" Jenny wiped her tears away, "My dog died last night. I'm really sad about it." Jenny put her arm around her. "There, there, Jenny. It's ok. Just get over it," Cassandra said insensitively. Jenny gave Cassandra a cross look as she walked away. Cassandra felt really good about helping so many people with their problems today.

What is the theme of the story? __________________________________________________________

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What happens in the story that leads you to believe this? ______________________________________

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