Question

adapted from admetus and the shepherd: a greek myth by josephine preston peabody apollo did not live always free of care, though he was the most glorious of the gods. one day, in anger with the cyclopes who work at the forges of vulcan, he sent his arrows after them, to the wrath of all the gods, but especially of zeus. even the divine archer could not go unpunished, and as a penalty he was sent to serve some mortal for a year. now there was a certain king in thessaly, admetus, and there came to him one day a stranger, who asked leave to serve about the palace. none knew his name, nor whence he came; yet he spoke with wisdom, and it was plain that he had come from a position of high trust. so without further delay they made him chief shepherd of the royal flocks. every day thereafter, he drove his sheep to the banks of the river amphrysus, and there he sat to watch them. the country folk that passed drew near to wonder at him. he would pipe for hours in the sun. a simple - spoken man he was, yet he seemed to know much more than he would say, and he smiled with a kindly mirth when he looked upon the happy sheep. indeed, as days went by, it seemed as if summer had come to stay, and, like the shepherd, found the place friendly. nowhere else were the flocks so white and fair to see, like clouds loitering along a bright sky; sometimes, when he chose, their keeper sang to them. then the grasshoppers gathered near and the swans sailed close to the river banks, and the countrymen gathered about to hear wonderful tales of the slaying of the monster python and of a lovely maiden, daphne, who grew into a laurel tree. at last admetus, who had been to see the world, knew at once that this was no earthly shepherd, but a god. from that day, like a true king, he treated his guest with reverence and friendliness, asking no questions; and the god was well pleased. 4 which sentence best presents a theme from the passage? a. the simple things in life can bring great pleasure. b. people are drawn to those who are mysterious. c. people are not always who they seem to be. d. a lowly station does not mean an unhappy life.

Explanation:

To determine the theme, analyze each option:

• Option A: The passage doesn't focus on "simple things" bringing pleasure. The shepherd's situation is about his station and happiness.
• Option B: The story isn't about people being drawn to mysterious others. Admetus treats the shepherd with reverence, but the focus is on the shepherd's life, not people's attraction to mystery.
• Option C: This is about appearances, but the passage's main idea is about the shepherd's (a god's) life and that a lowly station (shepherd) doesn't mean an unhappy life. The god is content as a shepherd.
• Option D: The shepherd (a god) has a lowly station (shepherd) but is content, and the passage shows that this station doesn't mean an unhappy life. Admetus also treats him well, and the god is pleased. This matches the theme.

Answer:

D. A lowly station does not mean an unhappy life.