How a theme grows from characters, setting and plot
Grade 8 Reading Worksheet
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
One Working Keyboard (story)
[1] After school, the computer lab was nearly empty, and only one keyboard in the back row still worked. [2] Luz, who had joined the coding club that week, sat at the working keyboard and stared at a blinking cursor. [3] Zee, who had been coding for two years, leaned over the desk and watched Luz type a single line in nearly a minute.
[4] Zee sighed, slid the keyboard across the desk, and finished the whole program in under two minutes. [5] Luz said thanks in a small voice and spent the rest of the hour watching the screen without touching a key. [6] The club leader, Ms. Park, stopped beside the desk and asked Zee how long the first program had taken to write.
[7] Zee remembered a day in third grade when a program would not run and no one explained why, and the memory outlasted the question. [8] The next week, Zee slid the keyboard back to Luz and sat on the left, pointing at the screen only when asked. [9] It took Luz twenty minutes to write four lines, and Zee waited through every one of them. [10] When the lines ran and a small blue square slid across the screen, both of them laughed at the same moment.
Ren links the place to a choice. How does the single working keyboard shape Zee's choice to slide it back in sentence 8?
- The club has no other equipment, so the single keyboard forces Zee to share it with Luz.
- Zee has coded for two years, and the lab is nearly empty after school.
- One keyboard works, so Zee slides it across the desk and finishes the program alone.
- With one working keyboard, Zee could keep control, so handing it back is a real act of patience.
Bo tests themes against Zee, the computer lab and the plot. Which statement is built by all three in this story?
- A school lab after hours can be nearly empty, with a few machines that work.
- People with years of coding practice can finish programs much faster than beginners can, even on simple tasks.
- Helping someone learn means giving up the faster way and waiting while the learner works.
- A single question from an adult can bring back a memory that changes a person's plans.
The Shoveled Driveway (story)
[1] School was canceled after the first big snow, and Pia planned to be at Cooper Hill by eight, before the best slopes were packed down. [2] On the way, Pia and Noah passed Mr. Hale's driveway, which stretched fifty feet from the porch to the road under a smooth white blanket. [3] Mr. Hale stood on the porch in a thick coat, holding an empty mug and looking at the snow rather than at the shovel.
[4] Noah suggested clearing the driveway first, but Pia pointed out that the hill would be crowded by ten. [5] The two stood a moment in the cold, and then Pia took the shovel from the porch rail without another word about the hill. [6] They worked for nearly two hours, and each scoop of heavy snow felt heavier than the one before.
[7] By the time the last stripe of pavement showed, the church clock struck eleven, and the shouts from Cooper Hill had already begun. [8] Mr. Hale poured two mugs of hot cocoa on the porch and said the driveway had not been clear before noon in years. [9] On the hill, the best slopes were packed into icy ruts, and Pia and Noah took four slow runs on a bumpy track. [10] Walking home at dusk, Pia called it the best day of sledding Pia could remember, and Noah did not argue.
Esme follows the theme: a kindness means more when it costs the giver something. How does sentence 7 develop that theme?
- It shows the cost of the help: the best part of the morning is already gone.
- It shows again that Pia wanted to reach the hill early.
- It shows that a town's church clock keeps everyone on one schedule.
- It shows that the help has already paid off with a better day than planned for Pia and Noah.
Luz tests themes against Pia, the snowy morning and the plot. Which statement is built by all three in this story?
- A person who plans a morning carefully may still change the plan when asked.
- A kindness counts for more when the giver gives something up in order to offer it.
- Fresh snow on a canceled school day gives a whole town the chance to play outside.
- Helping a neighbor with a long driveway can take hours of heavy work in the cold.
The Empty Chair (story)
[1] The cafeteria was noisy at noon, and the long table by the window held eleven students and one empty chair. [2] Esme had moved to town the week before and ate a sandwich at a small table near the trash cans, reading a paperback. [3] Ari noticed the empty chair each day and noticed Esme at the small table each day, and did nothing.
[4] On Thursday, a classmate at the long table complained that it was already too crowded for another person. [5] Ari looked at the empty chair, stood up with a lunch tray, and walked across the cafeteria to the small table. [6] The walk took longer than it should have, and the noise of the room dropped to a hum.
[7] Ari asked Esme whether the paperback was any good, and Esme answered with a long and surprisingly funny review. [8] Ten minutes later, both of them carried their trays to the long table, and Ari pulled out the empty chair. [9] The classmate who had complained shifted over without a word, and the table made room for one more tray. [10] By Friday, three of the students at the long table were arguing with Esme about the paperback's ending.
Milo follows the theme: belonging often begins when one person makes room. How does sentence 4 develop that theme?
- It adds a push against making room, so Ari's choice now has a cost.
- It shows again that Esme eats alone at the small table.
- It shows that cafeterias get too crowded for the students who want a seat.
- It shows that the long table will not accept Esme, whatever Ari does.
Kira links the place to a choice. How does the empty chair at the long table shape Ari's choice to cross the cafeteria?
- The empty chair is saved for Esme, so Ari crosses the room to deliver an invitation.
- The empty chair shows there is room, so the real obstacle is nerve, and crossing the room is Ari's choice.
- The empty chair is in view each day, which is why Ari notices it and does nothing.
- The cafeteria is noisy at noon, and Esme sits near the trash cans with a paperback.
Pia tests themes against Ari, the cafeteria and the plot. Which statement is built by all three in this story?
- A crowded, noisy cafeteria can make it hard to hear or notice other people.
- A single complaint from a classmate can make a decision harder to carry out.
- Belonging often begins when one person crosses a room to make space for another.
- A new student may eat alone for a week before anyone says hello.
The Paper Lanterns (story)
[1] Every December, the town gathered on the village green at dusk to light paper lanterns and carry them in a slow circle around the fountain. [2] This year the town council announced that battery lights would replace the candles, because the grass had been dry all fall. [3] Noah, whose grandmother had folded the first paper lanterns on the green, said that battery lights were just plastic pretending.
[4] Esme studied the notice on the library door and suggested that the paper lanterns could stay if only the light inside them changed. [5] Noah answered that the light was the whole point of a lantern, and then walked home with both hands jammed in pockets. [6] That night, Noah sat at the kitchen table and unfolded one of the old paper lanterns from a storage box.
[7] The paper was thin and creased in exactly the places where years of small hands had held it. [8] On Saturday, Noah brought the box to the library and helped Esme cut small holes for the battery lights. [9] At dusk on the green, two hundred paper lanterns glowed with steady white light and circled the fountain in the old slow line. [10] Noah walked near the front and held the first lantern a little higher than usual.
Ari follows the theme: traditions last when people find new ways to carry them. How does sentence 7 develop that theme?
- It shows what is worth keeping in the tradition, which moves Noah toward a compromise.
- It shows that Noah already accepts the battery lights without any further change.
- It shows that paper wears thin when it is stored in a box for years.
- It shows again that Noah dislikes the battery lights.
Zee links the place to a choice. How does the dry green shape Noah's choice to help Esme with the lanterns?
- The dry green makes candles unsafe, so Noah keeps the paper lanterns and changes only the light.
- The dry green leads the council to change the lights, and Noah answers by walking home angry after the notice.
- The dry green shows that the town should give up its lantern walk altogether.
- The green has a fountain in the middle, and the library door holds the council's notice.
Bo tests themes against Noah, the village green and the plot. Which statement is built by all three in this story?
- A suggestion from a friend can come at a moment when it is hard to hear.
- A dry green in the fall can make open flames a danger to a whole town.
- Traditions last when people find new ways to carry the old ones forward.
- A person whose family started a custom may feel hurt when that custom changes.
