Question

Father and Sons
by Aesop
A certain man had several sons who were always quarrelling with one another, and, try as he might, he could not get them to live together in harmony. So he determined to convince them of their folly by the following means.

Bidding them fetch a bundle of sticks, he invited each in turn to break it across his knee. All tried and all failed; and then he undid the bundle, and handed them the sticks one by one, when they had no difficulty at all in breaking them.

“There, my boys,” said he, “united you will be more than a match for your enemies; but if you quarrel and separate, your weakness will put you at the mercy of those who attack you.”

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Adapted from “Father and Sons,” in Aesop’s Fables: A New Translation, by Aesop, translated by V. S. Vernon Jones, Public domain.


Questions
Which detail conveys the theme that people are stronger together versus apart?

The boys cannot break the bundle of sticks until they separate it into individual sticks.

The boys quarrel with each other frequently to try to get their father’s attention.

The father asks each boy to fetch a large number of sticks.

The father teaches his sons how to use sticks to defend themselves.
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Answer 1

The boys cannot break the bundle of sticks until they separate it into individual sticks.

This detail shows that together (the bundle) they are strong, but apart (each stick) they are easily broken — illustrating the theme that people are stronger together than apart.