Question

passage 1
the good king arthur
adapted from myths and legends of all nations
by logan marshall

the boy arthur was the son of king uther pendragon, but uther had given him
into the care of the enchanter merlin, who had carried him to the castle of sir
hector.

merlin was a very wise man, and when king uther died several years later, the
noblemen asked his advice in choosing a new king.

the enchanter only replied that he should gather everyone together in st.
stephen’s church in london on christmas day.

as directed, the knights assembled into the churchyard; there they beheld a large
block of stone, upon which rested a heavy anvil. the blade of a jeweled sword was
sunk deeply into the anvil.

one of them discovered an inscription upon the hilt, which said that none but the
man who could draw the sword should ever rule in uther’s place. one by one
they tried, but the sword was firmly imbedded.

years later, sir hector traveled to london with his foster son, arthur, and his own
son, sir kay, who was to take part in his first tournament; however, sir kay had
forgotten his sword.

“i will fetch it for you,” cried the young arthur, anxious to be of service.

he found sir kay’s apartment locked, but he was determined to get a sword for
his brother, and remembering the huge anvil he had seen in the churchyard, he
hurried toward it. grasping the hilt of the projecting sword, he drew it out easily.

“the king!” the people cried; for they knew that at last they had found a worthy
successor to the good king uther.

passage 2
excalibur
adapted from marble isle: legends of the round table, and other poems
by sallie bridges

the flower of island chivalry
had come from far and near,
to try their skill at tournament
the first day of the year.

5 sir kaye look’d down, and paled to see
no weapon at his side.
then back his comrade spurr’d his steed,
across the moat he hied

5
which sentence is a theme in “the good king arthur”?

a. overcoming challenges is part of becoming a king.

b. being a king requires strength.

c. the knight with the most talent will become king.

d. there is only one rightful king.

Explanation:

To determine the theme, we analyze each option:

• Option A: Arthur faced the challenge of drawing the sword (a test to be king) and succeeded, showing overcoming challenges is part of becoming king. This matches the story.
• Option B: The story focuses on the test (drawing sword) rather than just strength.
• Option C: The sword test isn't about talent but worthiness, and Arthur became king by passing the test, not just talent.
• Option D: The story shows Arthur as the rightful king, but the main theme is about overcoming challenges (drawing sword) to become king, not just there being one rightful king.

Answer:

A. Overcoming challenges is part of becoming a king.