Question

taking time to build something
makes it more meaningful.
feeling sorry for yourself wont
solve your problems.
nature is harsher in real life than
on television.

quotation
when he sat alone in the darkness
and cried and was done, all done
with it, nothing had changed. his leg
still hurt, it was still dark, he was still
alone.
a hundred funny cartoons he had
seen about skunks. . . . but when
the spray hit there was nothing
funny about it—he was completely
blind for almost two hours.
he had worked on the fish spear
until it had become more than just a
tool. hed spent hours and hours on
it

Explanation:

To solve this, we match each quotation to the most appropriate theme by analyzing the key ideas:

First Quotation:

"When he sat alone in the darkness and cried and was done, all done with it, nothing had changed. His leg still hurt, it was still dark, he was still alone."

• The quotation shows that crying (feeling sorry for himself) didn’t solve his problems (pain, loneliness, darkness).
• Match: "Feeling sorry for yourself won’t solve your problems."

Second Quotation:

"A hundred funny cartoons he had seen about skunks. . . . but when the spray hit there was nothing funny about it—he was completely blind for almost two hours."

• The quotation contrasts how nature (skunk spray) appeared on TV (funny cartoons) vs. real life (harsh, blinding experience).
• Match: "Nature is harsher in real life than on television."

Third Quotation:

"He had worked on the fish spear until it had become more than just a tool. He’d spent hours and hours on it."

• The quotation emphasizes that spending time building (the fish spear) made it more meaningful (more than just a tool).
• Match: "Taking time to build something makes it more meaningful."

Answer:

s (matching each quotation to theme):

1. First quotation → "Feeling sorry for yourself won’t solve your problems."
2. Second quotation → "Nature is harsher in real life than on television."
3. Third quotation → "Taking time to build something makes it more meaningful."