How can you identify theme across multiple passages on the same topic?

• A. Look for recurring messages or lessons and compare how each text treats the idea.
• B. Read each passage in isolation.
• C. Count the number of questions each author asks.
• D. Focus only on the tone of the most recent passage.

Answer: (A)

The main idea being tested is how to find a shared message that runs through several passages about the same topic. To identify theme, look for ideas, messages, or lessons that keep showing up across texts. Then compare how each author treats that idea—what examples, details, or evidence they use, and the tone or perspective that accompanies it. When you notice the same idea appearing in more than one passage and you can see how each author develops it, you’re gathering the thread that links the texts and naming the theme.

Reading each passage in isolation won’t reveal how the texts connect to a common message. Counting the number of questions each author asks isn’t related to the theme across passages, and focusing only on the tone of the most recent passage ignores the ideas and evidence in the others.