Question

read the quotations below from pearl s. buck’s the good earth. match each one with the theme or lesson it supports.

nothing is permanent.
desperation can force people to abandon their principles.
land is more dependable than man - made things.

quotation\ttheme
so would also their house sometime return into the earth. their bodies also. each had his turn at this earth.
if i had the silver, they would have taken it. if i had bought with the silver to store it, they would have taken it all. i have the land still, and it is mine.
“hunger makes a thief of any man.”
© 1931 pearl s. buck

Explanation:

1. For the quotation "So wouldst also their house sometime return into the earth, their bodies also. Each had his turn at this earth.", the theme "Nothing is permanent" fits as it talks about houses and bodies returning to the earth, implying impermanence.
2. For the quotation "If I had the silver, they would have taken it. If I had bought with the silver to store it, they would have taken it all. I have the land still, and it is mine.", the theme "Land is more dependable than man - made things" fits as it contrasts the impermanence of silver (man - made/owned) with the dependability of land.
3. For the quotation "Hunger makes a thief of any man.", the theme "Desperation can force people to abandon their principles" fits as hunger (a form of desperation) can make a man a thief, which is an abandonment of moral principles.

Answer:

1. Quotation: "So wouldst also their house sometime return into the earth, their bodies also. Each had his turn at this earth." - Theme: "Nothing is permanent"
2. Quotation: "If I had the silver, they would have taken it. If I had bought with the silver to store it, they would have taken it all. I have the land still, and it is mine." - Theme: "Land is more dependable than man - made things"
3. Quotation: "Hunger makes a thief of any man." - Theme: "Desperation can force people to abandon their principles"