by Mark Twain
Once upon a time an artist who had painted a small and very beautiful picture placed it so that he could see it in the mirror. He said, “This doubles the distance and softens it, and it is twice as lovely as it was before.”
The animals out in the woods heard of this through the housecat, who was greatly admired by them because he was so learned, and so refined and civilized, and so polite and high-bred, and could tell them so much which they didn't know before, and were not certain about afterward. They were much excited about this new piece of gossip, and they asked questions, so as to get at a full understanding of it. They asked what a picture was, and the cat explained.
“It is a flat thing,” he said; “wonderfully flat, marvelously flat, enchantingly flat and elegant. And, oh, so beautiful!”
That excited them almost to a frenzy, and they said they would give the world to see it. Then the bear asked:
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Question
Use the story to answer the question.
Which statement best describes how you could relate the theme of this story to your own life?
(1 point)
Responses
I could think of a time when a housecat wanted me to believe something I did not believe.
I could think of a time when a housecat wanted me to believe something I did not believe.
I could think of a time when I saw something confusing when I looked in a mirror.
I could think of a time when I saw something confusing when I looked in a mirror.
I could think of a time when something I already believed made it hard to see something new.
I could think of a time when something I already believed made it hard to see something new.
I could think of a time when I argued with friends.
1 answer
The statement that best describes how you could relate the theme of this story to your own life is:
"I could think of a time when something I already believed made it hard to see something new."
This choice reflects the idea that preconceived notions or beliefs can impact our ability to appreciate new experiences or perspectives, similar to how the animals' understanding of pictures was shaped by the cat's explanation.
