Quiz Questions
Read each short story and determine the theme.
The Cupcake Contest
Neal was so excited. His high school was having a bake-off, and the owners of a local cupcake shop were going to judge. Neal had always had a knack for cooking and baking, and he was pretty sure he could win this contest. He'd perfected his classic vanilla cupcake recipe.
On the way to biology class, he asked his friend Liza what she was baking for the contest.
"I'm going to make my grandmother's red velvet cupcakes, topped with cream cheese frosting and cinnamon," Liza replied.
Neal groaned. Liza's cupcakes sounded so much more creative. Suddenly, his simple vanilla cupcakes seemed lame.
Determined to impress the judges, Neal changed his cupcake recipe. He added a marshmallow filling to each cupcake. To liven up his buttercream frosting, he added purple food dye, lavender oil, and licorice extract. The cupcakes still looked boring, so he garnished them with gold dust, rice paper birds, and edible flower petals.
In spite of all these adventurous touches, his cupcakes turned out lopsided and goopy, and the frosting tasted strongly like licorice. But he was sure the cupcake judges would look highly on how fancy his cupcakes were.
Neal could hardly wait for the contest results to be posted after school. But when he saw the list on the wall, his mouth fell open. He didn't win any prizes, not even as a runner-up. And first place had gone to one of his classmates, Drew Feldman. The description by Drew's cupcakes read, "Classic Vanilla."
Theme: The theme of this story is that simplicity and staying true to oneself can lead to success.
A. Always challenge yourself to go outside your comfort zone and try something new.
B. It's often better to do a good job on something simple than attempt too many things at once.
B. It's often better to do a good job on something simple than attempt too many things at once.
Select the quotation from the story that most strongly suggests the theme of the above story.
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5 points
In spite of all these adventurous touches, his cupcakes turned out lopsided and goopy, and the frosting tasted strongly like licorice.
"I'm going to make my grandmother's red velvet cupcakes, topped with cream cheese frosting and cinnamon," Liza replied.
In spite of all these adventurous touches, his cupcakes turned out lopsided and goopy, and the frosting tasted strongly like licorice.
Selective Samples
Cody liked the freedom that came with his first summer job. He worked at Mitchell's Farm, where people could come and pick their own corn, berries, and tomatoes out in the fields. Then they'd bring their produce to the checkout stand, where Cody would weigh it and charge the appropriate price. Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell were usually busy somewhere else, so Cody was trusted to manage the stand by himself.
For the most part, Cody enforced the Mitchells' rules. When someone asked for a discount or a sample, Cody said no. But he did sometimes bend the rules for friends, much to their delight.
"Go ahead, taste a few berries before I weigh 'em," he'd say when it was someone he knew. It was against the rules to eat something before you bought it, but everyone wanted to.
One day, a man came to the stand with a bushel of corn he had picked. Cody weighed the ears of corn and told the man how much it cost. The man looked confused.
"But I was here yesterday, and you told someone that for every five ears you buy, you get one free," he said.
Cody remembered. He had indeed offered that deal to the Thomases, who happened to be his neighbors. Now he regretted it. He saw Mrs. Mitchell baling hay close by. How was Cody going to explain that he had given a deal to those he knew while he made everyone else pay full price?
The man saw that Cody was looking at Mrs. Mitchell. "Is that the owner? May I speak to her?" he asked.
Cody thought about offering the man the same discount, but there were people in line behind him, and they were carrying corn, too. Cory hung his head and walked over to see Mrs. Mitchell.
Theme: The theme of this story is the importance of honesty and fairness in managing a job or business.
Rules should be applied fairly.
You should appreciate the people you work for.
A. Rules should be applied fairly.
Select the quotation from the story that most strongly suggests the theme of the above story.
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5 points
It was against the rules to eat something before you bought it, but everyone wanted to.
How was Cody going to explain that he had given a deal to those he know while he made everyone else pay full price?