Nina practiced the solo for weeks until her hands ached. At the recital she missed two notes but played to the end. The next morning she asked her teacher for a harder piece. What theme do these particular details convey?

The creek flooded the park in April. Marisol knocked on doors until twelve neighbors agreed to help. In four weekends they hauled out the mud and reopened the swings. Which sentence is the best objective summary?

Dev hid his broken glasses in his desk and squinted at the board all week. When Lila said out loud that she could not read the board either, Dev set his taped frames on the desk and grinned. What theme do these details convey?

A student summarized a story: 'The power was out for three days. Ines read to her brother by candlelight. Their mother worked a late shift. Sadly, no neighbor checked on them.' Which sentence states an opinion instead of summarizing?

Coach Ruiz benched Tomas for shouting at a teammate. Tomas swept and restacked the equipment shed all week without being asked. Before Friday's game the coach handed him the captain's band. What theme do these details convey?

For eleven years Mr. Adeyemi mailed his brother overseas the same drawing, adding one new house to the street each time. When the brothers finally met, the drawing covered a hallway wall. Which sentence summarizes the passage objectively?

Every morning Junie fed the stray cat behind the diner, though her own lunch grew smaller. When the cat brought her kittens, three regular customers started leaving bowls out too. What theme do these particular details convey?

A student wrote this summary of a story: 'A storm delayed the ferry, so Priya spent the night in the terminal and reached the island by noon.' True or False: the summary adds no judgment of its own.

The seventh graders wanted a garden, but the principal said no soil budget existed. They collected used coffee grounds from three cafes for a month and built beds from broken pallets. In May the first beans came up. Which is the best objective summary?

Ravi kept the last working flashlight for himself during the blackout. When he heard the twins crying upstairs, he climbed the steps and left it glowing on their dresser. He felt his way back down. What theme do these details convey?

Lena's grandmother spoke only Tagalog and Lena spoke only English. For a year they cooked together on Sundays, naming each ingredient twice. By the next New Year they argued happily about salt. Which sentence summarizes the passage without judgment?

Omar forgot his lines at the audition. The director thanked him politely and moved on. He came back the next day with a taped script. He read for the smallest part and got it. Which detail best conveys that persistence outweighs a first failure?

A student's summary of a story ends with this sentence: 'The best part is when Marcus finally forgives his sister.' True or False: that sentence belongs in an objective summary.

The bus driver, Mrs. Okoye, learned every rider's stop by heart. When the route changed, she wrote the new corners on index cards and handed them out. Riders kept the cards in their wallets for years. What theme do these details convey?

Kai lost his ferry ticket, borrowed money from a stranger, missed the noon boat, and reached the island at dusk to find his uncle still waiting at the dock. Which sentence is the best objective summary?

Grandpa Ellis kept a coffee can of bent nails he refused to throw out. He straightened three of them to brace the porch rail before the winter storm. His rail held; the neighbors' new one did not. What theme do these details convey?

For six weeks Amara mapped every pothole on her street, then read the map aloud at a council meeting. Within a month the city patched nine of the eleven holes she had marked. Which sentence is an objective summary of the passage?

'You can copy mine,' Bea whispered, sliding her lab sheet across the table. Wen slid it back. 'Then I still won't know it on Friday,' he said, and stayed after class with the teacher. What theme do these details convey?

The choir lost its room to construction and rehearsed in the parking garage for two months. Shoppers stopped to listen, and a crowd of them followed the singers back into the school for the winter concert. Which summary covers the whole passage?

After the fire, Sami's team rebuilt the clubhouse from donated boards. The walls leaned, but the members met inside every Saturday until spring. Which statement is a theme rather than a summary of the passage?