Question

byzantine
11 04 19
kyle liked lucy more than any other girl in the school, but he had an odd way of showing it. when she walked ahead of him in line, he kicked at her shoe. when she passed him on the school yard, he called her \lucy the loser.\ he even wrote a mean word on her homework during the bus ride to school. but what puzzled lucy the most was receiving an invitation to kyles birthday party. figuring that he was just planning a mean trick on her, lucy decided not to go. as kyle eagerly awaited lucys arrival, lucy talked on the phone to jacob. when kyle finally realized that lucy was not coming to his party, he was devastated.

1. what is the theme of this story?
2. what happens in the story that leads you to believe this?

the little grey mouse that lived in my wall prospered for many days on nibbles of my lunch. id pack a meal before bed and, while i slept, he would take small bites of my lunch, which i left on the counter. hed take a cracker crumble here, and a bread crumb there, but he wouldnt take too much and hed always clean up after himself. things were going quite well for him and i didnt even know that he existed, until he got sloppy. one night while i slept, he ate all my chips and left a big mess. when i awoke to this sight, i knew what had happened to my chips. the next night he returned for another snack. he found a nice, delicious piece of cheese ... lightly balanced on a mousetrap. now i dont have to share my chips anymore.

1. what is the theme of this story?
2. what happens in the story that leads you to believe this?

ulysses spent all his free time reading books and felt that he was very intelligent. one day a nice student from his class asked him if he wanted to go sledding. ulysses responded, \ive read about sledding in books, and it sounds miserable. no, thank you.\ on another day, a different friendly student asked ulysses if he wanted to go out for hotdogs. ulysses responded, \ive read that hotdogs are filled with rat parts and pig bellies. no, thank you.\ nobody asked ulysses to hang out again, but he did read about friends in his books.

1. what is the theme of this story?
2. what happens in the story that leads you to believe this?

Explanation:

For questions 5 & 6:

The story focuses on Kyle expressing his affection for Lucy in unkind, misleading ways, leading to him being rejected and hurt. The theme centers on how poor communication of feelings causes harm. The key details are Kyle's mean actions (kicking her shoe, name-calling, writing on her homework) toward Lucy despite liking her, his devastation when she skips his party after assuming his invitation was a trick.

For questions 7 & 8:

The story follows a mouse that initially behaves carefully, but becomes greedy and messy, leading to its downfall. The theme is that overindulgence or abandoning caution leads to negative consequences. The supporting details are the mouse's initial careful, clean habits that let it thrive, its choice to eat all the chips and leave a mess, and then being caught in a mousetrap when it returns for more food.

For questions 9 & 10:

The story shows Ulysses relying only on book knowledge and refusing real-world experiences, which leaves him isolated. The theme is that relying solely on theoretical knowledge instead of real-life experiences can lead to loneliness and missed connections. The supporting details are Ulysses turning down sledding and hot dog outings using only things he read in books, and no one asking him to hang out afterward, even as he reads about friends in books.

Answer:

1. Poorly expressing feelings leads to hurt.
2. Kyle likes Lucy but is mean to her (kicks her shoe, calls her names, writes on her homework); Lucy thinks his party invitation is a trick and doesn't come, leaving Kyle devastated.
3. Greed or carelessness leads to negative consequences.
4. The mouse initially thrives by taking small crumbs and cleaning up, but gets sloppy by eating all the chips and leaving a mess; it is then caught in a mousetrap when it returns for more food.
5. Relying only on book knowledge isolates you from real life.
6. Ulysses turns down sledding and hot dog outings using only things he read in books; no one asks him to hang out afterward, even as he reads about friends in books.