Question
The Armoire
Hayley's parents had a big anniversary coming up, and Hayley wanted to surprise them with a special gift. The problem was, she couldn't afford anything expensive. Then she remembered the old armoire in the basement that had belonged to her grandparents. It was all scratched and dusty, but her mom was always saying that it "had potential." Refinishing it would be the perfect gift!
Hayley bought the materials using her babysitting money: sandpaper, stain, and tarps to protect the floor. She realized too late that she'd forgotten to buy wood cleaner, but she was eager to get started. She gave the dresser a light dusting with a paper towel instead.
Her plan was to sand the surface to a perfect smoothness, but the sanding process was taking so long. She had read that it was important to start with a coarse grit sandpaper and work down to finer and finer grits as the wood became smoother. Surely it didn't matter that much, she figured, so she went from a medium coarse grit to a very fine grit, skipping a few steps in between.
The wood was mostly smooth when she ran her fingers along the surface, although she could still feel a little roughness in places. A few tiny dents remained, too. It'll look great with the mahogany stain, she reasoned.
When Hayley finally applied the stain, however, it didn't look all that great. The stain clumped in the leftover dust and dirt and collected in the tiny dents and scratches that remained, making them even more noticeable. It looked all streaky, too. Now, not only did she not have a gift for her parents' anniversary, but she also had to explain how she had ruined her grandparents' armoire.
Which of the following best describes the main theme or lesson of the story?
Hayley's parents had a big anniversary coming up, and Hayley wanted to surprise them with a special gift. The problem was, she couldn't afford anything expensive. Then she remembered the old armoire in the basement that had belonged to her grandparents. It was all scratched and dusty, but her mom was always saying that it "had potential." Refinishing it would be the perfect gift!
Hayley bought the materials using her babysitting money: sandpaper, stain, and tarps to protect the floor. She realized too late that she'd forgotten to buy wood cleaner, but she was eager to get started. She gave the dresser a light dusting with a paper towel instead.
Her plan was to sand the surface to a perfect smoothness, but the sanding process was taking so long. She had read that it was important to start with a coarse grit sandpaper and work down to finer and finer grits as the wood became smoother. Surely it didn't matter that much, she figured, so she went from a medium coarse grit to a very fine grit, skipping a few steps in between.
The wood was mostly smooth when she ran her fingers along the surface, although she could still feel a little roughness in places. A few tiny dents remained, too. It'll look great with the mahogany stain, she reasoned.
When Hayley finally applied the stain, however, it didn't look all that great. The stain clumped in the leftover dust and dirt and collected in the tiny dents and scratches that remained, making them even more noticeable. It looked all streaky, too. Now, not only did she not have a gift for her parents' anniversary, but she also had to explain how she had ruined her grandparents' armoire.
Which of the following best describes the main theme or lesson of the story?
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The main theme of the story is the importance of patience and thoroughness in order to achieve a desired outcome. Hayley's eagerness to complete the project quickly led her to overlook essential steps, resulting in a disappointing result. This reflects the idea that taking the time to do something correctly and paying attention to detail is crucial, especially when working on something meaningful. Additionally, it highlights the value of proper preparation and care when restoring heirlooms.