Theme in Literature — Answer Key
Part A: Fix the Sentence
Each sentence has an error. Rewrite it correctly on the line.
1. Fix the sentence:
The theme of the story about a lost dog is friendship.
Corrected: The topic of the story about a lost dog is friendship, but the theme is a message such as 'True friends never give up on each other.'
Friendship is a topic, just a word naming what the story is about. A theme must be a complete message the reader takes away, such as the idea that true friends never give up on each other.
2. Fix the sentence:
The theme of the poem is sadness.
Corrected: The topic of the poem is sadness, but the theme might be 'Sharing your feelings with others can help you heal.'
Sadness names what the poem deals with, so it is the topic. The theme is the lesson the poem teaches, like how sharing your feelings with others can help you heal.
3. Fix the sentence:
The theme of the fairy tale is that the princess lived happily ever after.
Corrected: The theme of the fairy tale is that kindness and courage are rewarded in the end.
Living happily ever after is just the ending of the plot, not a life lesson. A theme states the meaning behind the events, such as the idea that kindness and courage are rewarded in the end.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. The theme of a story is the central message or life lesson the author wants to share.
A central message or life lesson is the definition of theme. It is the big idea the author wants readers to carry away from the story, beyond just the events.
2. Unlike theme, the topic of a story is simply what the story is about in one or two words.
What a story is about in one or two words is the topic, the simple subject. Unlike theme, it does not give a lesson; it just labels the subject matter.
3. A theme is always expressed as a complete sentence, not just a single word.
Single words like courage or kindness only name a topic. A theme has to be written as a complete sentence so it expresses a full idea or lesson.
4. In a story where a boy practices piano every day and wins the contest, the theme is that hard work leads to success.
Practicing piano every day and then winning shows that effort produced a positive result. The lesson is that hard work leads to success.
Part C: Short Answer
Answer each question in one or two complete sentences.
1. Read: A girl shares her lunch with a new student who forgot hers. Later, that student helps the girl when she trips and falls. What is the theme? Use evidence from the text.
Sample answer: The theme is that kindness is often returned. The evidence is that the girl shared her lunch, and later the new student helped her when she fell, showing that acts of kindness come back to you.
Sharing the lunch and later being helped after the fall show kindness coming back around. The theme is that kindness is often returned, supported by both characters' actions toward each other.
2. What is the difference between the topic and the theme of a story? Give an example of each using a story about honesty.
Sample answer: The topic is what the story is about in one word, such as 'honesty.' The theme is the lesson, such as 'Being honest, even when it is hard, earns the trust of others.' The topic is a word; the theme is a full message.
The topic is a one-word label for the subject, like honesty, while the theme is the whole lesson the story teaches about that subject. For example, the topic honesty becomes the theme that being honest, even when it is hard, earns the trust of others.