Mira's telescope showed only clouds for six nights. On the seventh the sky cleared, and she mapped every star she had been waiting for. Which statement best expresses the theme?

A storm knocked out the town's power. Neighbors shared generators and cooked together in the square until crews restored the lines on Friday. Which choice is the best objective summary?

Devon copied his cousin's science project and won the blue ribbon. He kept the ribbon in a drawer, face down, and never mentioned it again. Which statement best expresses the theme?

A student's summary of a story about Tomas and a stray dog contains these four sentences. Which one keeps the summary from being objective?

Every fall Grandma Lu gave away her best seeds to the neighbors. Her own garden stayed smaller than theirs, but by spring the whole street bloomed. Which statement best expresses the theme?

Rey missed the bus, ran two miles to the meet, and finished last in his race. His coach told him the run to get there was the race that counted. Which choice is the best objective summary?

In one story two sisters argue over a shared bedroom and finally divide it with a hanging curtain. Which of these four statements is a theme rather than a topic?

The lighthouse keeper lit the lamp every night for years, though no ships passed. One winter a fishing boat followed that light home through heavy fog. Which statement best expresses the theme?

Nina spent her savings on a used cello. Her first recital squeaked badly, but by spring she played a solo the audience asked to hear a second time. Which choice is the best objective summary?

In a story a boy refuses help carrying heavy crates, drops them across the yard, then accepts a neighbor's hand and finishes quickly. Which theme does this pattern of events develop?

Lila is summarizing a story in which volunteers save a school from a flood. Which sentence belongs in her objective summary?

Salma's hands shook before every debate round, and she spoke anyway. By the final round her voice no longer wavered at the podium. Which statement best expresses the theme?

The old mill burned down in July. By October the town had rebuilt it as a library, using stone salvaged from the walls that survived the fire. Which choice is the best objective summary?

Ana traded her bike for a rare stamp and later learned the stamp was a copy. She kept it pinned above her desk to remind herself to ask questions. Which statement best expresses the theme?

A story tells how a girl builds a raft, sinks on her first attempt, rebuilds it, and crosses the lake. Which summary is incomplete because it covers only the opening?

The team's leading scorer passed the ball instead of shooting in the final seconds. The pass won the game, and afterward nobody remembered who scored. Which statement best expresses the theme?

A summary reads, "Lena hid her poems for years, then read one aloud at the school assembly." Which addition would make this summary no longer objective?

Two mapmakers charted the same coast. One guessed at the bays he had never seen, and the other left those stretches blank. Sailors came to trust the blank map. Which statement best expresses the theme?

Ravi's grandfather taught him to repair radios in a small shop. After the funeral Ravi opened that shop every Saturday and fixed the sets neighbors carried in. Which choice is the best objective summary?

Jae finished his contest poster in an hour; Priya worked on hers for a week. The judges awarded no prize, but Priya could explain every choice she had made. Which statement best expresses the theme?