Question

1. what is the difference between theme and central idea? select the best answer.

a. theme is the lesson you learn in a text and the central idea is the summary of what happens in the text.
b. theme is the message the author wants the reader to understand and the central idea is what the author uses to help the reader understand the text.
c. theme is the moral of the story and the central idea is the plot of the story.
d. theme is the lesson you learn in the text and the central idea explains who the exposition is in the text.
justin was jealous when his cousin cassie was named valedictorian of her class. \some people are just born smart,\ he told himself later as he watched tv on the couch. he had not been with cassie all of those times when she studied late into the night. justin was also jealous when his cousin victor was elected class president. \some people are just more popular than others,\ justin told himself while playing video games on the couch. he had not been with victor while he tirelessly campaigned, listened sympathetically to the problems of others, and treated everyone he knew with kindness and respect. when justins cousin matthew became the quarterback for the varsity squad, justin was envious. \some people are just more athletic than others,\ he told himself as he played around on his computer. justin had not been with matthew while matthew trained relentlessly to develop his athletic abilities. \one day something lucky will happen to me too,\ justin told himself as he snacked on junk food.

1. what is the theme of the story?

a. cousins make terrible friends.
b. good things dont just happen to you unless you make them happen.
c. some people are just born better than others.

Explanation:

For question 4: Option A correctly distinguishes theme (a lesson/underlying message) from central idea (a summary of the text's content).
For question 5: The story shows Justin attributing his cousins' successes to luck/natural traits while ignoring their effort; the theme is that success requires action, not just waiting for luck.

Answer:

A. Theme is the lesson you learn in a text and the central idea is the summary of what happens in the text.
B. Good things don't just happen to you unless you make them happen.