Question

adapted from admetus and the shepherd: a greek myth by josephine preston peabody apollo did not live always free of care, though he was the most glorious of the gods. one day, in anger with the cyclopes who work at the forges of vulcan, he sent his arrows after them, to the wrath of all the gods, but especially of zeus. even the divine archer could not go unpunished, and as a penalty he was sent to serve some mortal for a certain year. now there was a certain king in thessaly, admetus, and there came to him one day a stranger, who asked leave to serve about the palace. no one knew his name, but he was very comely, and moreover, when they questioned him further they had come from a position of high trust. so without said that he may serve him chief shepherd of the royal flocks. every day thereafter, he drove his sheep to the banks of the river amphrysus, and there he sat to watch them. the country folk that passed drew near to wonder at him. he would pipe for hours in the sun. a simple - spoken man he was, yet he seemed to know much more than he would say, and he smiled with a kindly mirth when the people wished him sunny weather. indeed, as days went by, it seemed as if summer had come to stay, and, like the shepherd, found the place friendly. nowhere else were the flocks so white and fair to see, like clouds loitering along a bright sky; sometimes, when he chose, their keeper sang to them. then the grasshoppers drew near and the swans sailed close to the river banks, and the countrymen gathered about to hear wonderful tales of the slaying of the monster python and of a lovely maiden, daphne, who grew into a laurel tree. in time, the rumor of these things drew the king himself to listen; admetus, who had been to see the world, knew at once that this was no earthly shepherd, but a god. from that day, like a true king, he treated his guest with reverence and friendliness, asking no questions; and the god was well pleased. which sentence best presents a theme from the passage? a. a lowly station does not mean an unhappy life. b. the simple things in life can bring great pleasure. c. people are drawn to those who are mysterious. d. people are not always who they seem to be.

Explanation:

To determine the theme, we analyze each option:

• Option A: The shepherd (who is actually a god) has a lowly station (shepherd) but finds happiness and brings joy (the flocks are well - kept, countrymen gather to hear tales, the king treats him well). The passage shows that despite his seemingly lowly role as a shepherd, his life (and the impact he has) is not unhappy.
• Option B: The passage is not mainly about simple things bringing pleasure. The focus is on the shepherd's true identity and his situation, not on simple pleasures.
• Option C: People are drawn to him, but the reason is his stories and presence, not his mystery. The mystery of his identity is revealed later, and the initial draw is not due to mystery.
• Option D: While the shepherd is a god in disguise, the main theme is more about a lowly - seeming position not meaning an unhappy life. The "not who they seem" aspect is a detail, not the main theme. The passage emphasizes the contentment and positive impact of the shepherd (in his lowly station) rather than just the disguise.

Answer:

A. A lowly station does not mean an unhappy life.