Question

Passage 1:Tyler looked at his homework paper in shock. He had gotten an F grade! All the math problems he had done were wrong. "What did you get on your homework, Tyler?" asked Marie.

"I got an A" Tyler boasted. He didn't want Marie to know about his F grade.

"Would you mind helping me with my math problems?" Marie asked. "I didn't do very well on my homework, and I need someone to talk me through them."

Tyler looked at the ground and thought hard, but he did not know how to get out of this one.

Passage 2:

"My dad is the strongest man in the world," said Jeff. "He can pick up a car with just one hand."

Mike and Danny looked at each other. "Really?" asked Mike. "What else can he do?"

"He can pull trucks all by himself and knock down buildings" said Jeff. "My dad can do anything he wants to because he's so strong."

Later that day, Jeff heard a knock at his front door. It was Mike and Danny from school. "We've come to meet your dad," they said.

Jeff stared at them and felt his heart begin to beat really fast. His dad was nowhere near as strong as he had told Mike and Danny. Now what would he do?

Which BEST describes the theme of the two stories?
a
It is wrong to steal from people.
b
Being nice to people is very important.
c
Telling lies will get you into trouble.
d
Trying hard is more important than doing well.

Answer 1

c

Both passages show children lying to avoid embarrassment (Tyler about his grade, Jeff about his dad). In each case the lie creates a problem when others expect the truth.