Theme 13 - Short Answer Exercise: Specific Theme as Answer to Story Question
Literary Core Skill:
Explain the specific theme of various titles.
Resources: Socratic List questions 11a – 11e, 10e – 10f, 12a – 12d; TC Syllabus section 6
Elements of Fiction:
Assignment Type:
Description:
This worksheet asks for a sentence- or paragraph-length answer to Socratic List question 13b, “How does the story answer a problem associated with its general theme?”
The “specific theme” of a story is the case, point, or argument that the author is making about a universal idea, topic, or question. It is distinct from “general theme,” which is the universal idea itself. Every story thus has both a general theme (topic) and a specific theme (thesis).
Grading Rubric:
Equal parts credit for a) clean grammar/syntax/punctuation, b) plausibility, and c) reference to events in the current title. Paragraph- and page-length answers may also be graded on the 5-fold rubric.
Completed Example Assignments:
