Question

read the story.
norah boarded the bus, binder in one hand and half - eaten bagel in the other, and headed straight for her friends at the back. on her way, though, she heard dramatic crying from her bus driver’s son, toby, who was huddled in the front seat, clinging to his beloved blanket. looking up, she caught ms. shannon’s exceedingly fretful look.
moments later, norah and toby were examining the planets on his blanket, norah pointing out saturn’s rings and naming the rest of the celestial bodies. toby gazed at her with admiration, his occasional sniffles the only remnant of his previous distress.
once again, norah caught ms. shannon’s eye in the rearview mirror, and the bus driver smiled, mouthing a grateful “thank you.” norah smiled at her and turned again to toby, asking which planet was his favorite.
what is the central theme of the story?
learning from people who are older than us can help spark new interests.
it is important to prepare for challenges so that they dont become overwhelming.
distractions can be fun in the short term but can cause us to avoid facing our problems.
small acts of kindness can positively impact others and create a sense of gratitude.

Explanation:

1. Analyze the first option: The story is about Norah helping Toby, not Toby learning from an older person to spark interest. So this is incorrect.
2. Analyze the second option: The story has no content related to preparing for challenges. So this is incorrect.
3. Analyze the third option: Norah's action is a kind act, not a distraction to avoid problems. So this is incorrect.
4. Analyze the fourth option: Norah's small act of helping Toby (examining planets, calming him) led to Ms. Shannon's gratitude. This fits the theme of small kindness impacting others and creating gratitude.

Answer:

Small acts of kindness can positively impact others and create a sense of gratitude.