(C) Main Idea / Theme
Quiz by JoEllen Harr
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- Q1After setting his alarm clock for PM instead of AM, Eric woke up late for school. In his haste, he forgot to pack a lunch or bring lunch money. Eric did not mind much at the time and figured that he could just eat some of his friend's food. During lunchtime, Eric explained his situation to the people at his lunch table. His friends were sympathetic to his cause, but they only packed lunches for themselves, not Eric. Katie offered Eric a small bag of carrots. "Yuck! I hate carrots. Thanks anyway," Eric said as he declined Katie's offer. Chuck offered Eric his milk, to which Eric responded, "Is that skim milk? Ewww…. I hate skim milk. Does anyone have any chocolate milk?" Some people at the table did have chocolate milk, but they did not want to give their milk to Eric. To break the silence, Ben offered Eric half of his egg salad sandwich, but Eric again refused quite rudely, "Egg salad is gross. Doesn't anyone have anything good for me?" But that was the last offer that Eric would receive that day.Beggars can't be choosers.There's no place like home.Love is blind.Good triumphs over evil.300s
- Q2Tommy wanted a skateboard badly. Sometimes he would stay after school just to watch the older boys do tricks on the stairs. Tommy thought that it looked like so much fun to grind down rails and kickflip over gaps. He imagined performing jaw-dropping tricks on the various landmarks he passed on his way home. After months of saving money and begging his grandma, Tommy finally got a skateboard. With a beaming grin across his face, Tommy ran out to his driveway and attempted one of the tricks that he had often imagined himself performing. As Tommy put his first foot on his skateboard, the skateboard slid out from under him and Tommy fell on his butt. He broke out into tears. That was the last time that Tommy rode a skateboard.Treat others as you would like to be treated.Sometimes wanting is better than having.Evil is punished and good is rewarded.Every cloud has a silver lining.300s
- Q3George was stressed about his research paper. He had to write five pages about something that interested him, but he couldn't think of anything interesting. He decided that he would just play basketball. The next night George sat down to work on his paper again, but he still couldn't think of anything that interested him, so he listened to music and played video games instead. The next few days went much the same: he told himself that he wasn't interested in anything, and then he read comic books, watched movies, or read about classic cars. George was worried now because the paper was due very soon, and he still didn't even have a topic. He tried to think of something that he found interesting, but again he couldn't, so he just played his guitar and cooked a meal for his family. He loved to cook. At last the due date was here and George still didn't even have a topic. By now he had accepted that he would fail. "If only I could have found an interesting topic," he told himself.Actions speak louder than words.Where fear is present, wisdom cannot be.Don't cry over spilled milk.Never put off till tomorrow what you could be doing today.300s
- Q4Kristin had a good reputation. She was known as a bright student who frequently made honor roll and did volunteer work in her community. Nikki and Simone had reputations too, but they were known for causing trouble, getting into fights, and behaving dishonestly. One day Kristin was walking to the little store on the corner to get some healthy snacks when she bumped into Nikki and Simone. Much to Kristin's surprise, Nikki and Simone were being really nice to her. "How come we never hang out with Kristin? She cool," Simone said. Kristin had always quietly admired Nikki and Simone as girls who didn't take any stuff, so she enjoyed the compliments and the attention. Soon they were all walking into the little store together. The girls were playing around and having a good time while Kristin shopped. She picked out a few snacks and paid for her purchases, but on the way out the store owner stopped them. "Let me see what you've got there, little lady," he said as he reached into Nikki's pocket and pulled out several candy bars. "Now you," he said as he went into Simone's backpack and retrieved several bags of chips and packs of gum. He searched Kristin too, but didn't find anything. Kristin begged and pleaded with him as he called the police, "Please, sir, I'm a good girl." To which the man replied, "If you are such a good girl, then why are you hanging out with these two?" Kristin did not know.If you have knowledge, use it to help others.Be careful of the company you keep.If at first you don't succeed, try try again.It takes a village to raise a child.300s
- Q5A crow was perishing with thirst saw a pitcher, and hoping to find water, flew to it with delight. When he reached it, he discovered to his grief that it contained so little water that he could not possibly get at it. He tried everything he could think of to reach the water, but all his efforts were in vain. At last he collected as many stones as he could carry and dropped them one by one with his beak into the pitcher, until he brought the water within his reach and thus saved his life.Necessity is the mother of invention.Knowledge is power.Ignorance is bliss.Know your enemy.300s
- Q6
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
What might be a main theme of this poem?
the desire of being alone in nature versus responsibility to get safely home
the fear of staying too long on someone else’s land
taking care of animals is of utmost importance
the ability of nature to make a person feel tired and sleepy
300s - Q7
Besides the autumn poets sing,
A few prosaic days
A little this side of the snow
And that side of the haze.
A few incisive mornings,
A few ascetic eyes, -
Gone Mr. Bryant's golden-rod,
And Mr. Thomson's sheaves.
Still is the bustle in the brook,
Sealed are the spicy valves;
Mesmeric fingers softly touch
The eyes of many elves.
Perhaps a squirrel may remain,
My sentiments to share. Grant me,
O Lord, a sunny mind,
Thy windy will to bear!
What is the main idea/theme of this poem?
Nature is more pleasant and enjoyable in autumn than at any other time of the year.
People do not appreciate anything unless they lose everything.
People should spend less time outdoors in autumn.
Getting through the autumn as it turns to winter can be hard to bear.
300s - Q8
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
What is the theme of the poem?
Greek giants are more powerful than mighty women with torches of lightning.
There is a place in the world where people who need shelter can find it.
Homelessness is a serious problem in Greece, and more should be done to address it.
Ancient lands are full of people who enjoy visiting different countries around the world.
300s - Q9
Will you glimmer on the sea?
Will you fling your spear-head
On the shore?
What note shall we pitch?
We have a song,
On the bank we share our arrows—
The loosed string tells our note:
O flight,
Bring her swiftly to our song.
She is great,
We measure her by the pine-trees.
What is a theme of this poem?
Nature can create feelings of sorrow and despair in people.
Nature can create feelings of horror and disgust in people.
Nature can create feelings of anticipation and admiration in people.
Nature can create feelings of boredom and exhaustion in people.
300s - Q10
The air breathes frost. A thin wind beats
Old dust and papers down gray streets
And blows brown leaves with curled‐up edges
At frightened sparrows on window ledges.
A snowflake falls like an errant feather:
A vagabond draws his cloak together,
And an old man totters past with a cane
Wondering if he’ll see spring again.
What is this poem mainly about?
the way dry, fallen leaves look
a cold autumn day in a city
a vagabond who lives on a city street
an old man who lives in a city
300s