Deciding what is important
donald sat at the kitchen table and worked tirelessly on his history homework. he had read the assigned chapter but felt like he had not comprehended anything he had read. he did not understand how all the historic people and important events were connected. "what's that? " donald's older brother marquis asked coming inside after an intensely competitive game of basketball with the other boys in the neighborhood. "homework," donald replied with displeasure. marquis laughed and grabbed a bottle of orange juice from the refrigerator. he opened the lid, turned the bottle upside down, and drained the sweet liquid into his mouth. "that is so unsanitary! you should pour the juice in a glass! " donald complained. marquis often aggravated donald, but this behavior was positively disgusting. marquis wiped his mouth with a chuckle and shifted the basketball from one arm to the other. "homework is lame. why don't you come out and play some ball. it'll you relax." donald shook his head, "no, i need to complete this assignment." he really did want to go shoot some hoops outside, but he knew that homework had to be the priority. marquis had dropped out of school last year and was struggling to stay employed. their mom was angry that marquis had acted so irresponsibly, and donald didn't want to make her feel the same disappointment about himself. donald refocused his attention on the essay question again. trying to find something to write about, he flipped through a few pages in the book, but the thumping of the ball outside and the laughing of the guys made him long to be outdoors. he rushed through the rest of his homework. instead of rereading the chapter to him develop his essay, donald copied a section of the book word-for-word and put his name on his notebook paper. he knew it was akin to forgery, but he just needed 15 minutes outside. when she arrived home later in the evening, donald's mom asked him to make dinner. after dinner, he tried to work on his essay, but he was too exhausted from playing basketball earlier. when donald turned in for the night, he

promised himself that he would wake up early and rewrite the paper in the morning. donald tossed and turned all night worrying about his paper. he finally fell asleep just as the sun was beginning to rise. "donald! you're going to miss the bus! " his mom shouted from down the hallway. donald looked at the time and jumped out of bed. he would have no chance to fix his history homework. he shoved his books in his backpack and trudged out the door. donald was feeling like a superior failure. what would he tell his mom if he got in trouble for copying the book's text word-for-word? he knew his actions were wrong and would disappoint her. rather than going to school and lying, donald decided to admit the truth. "mom, can you drive me to school a little bit late today? " donald's mom was surprised by his request. she was even more surprised when he told her why. "i am proud of you for being honest. but instead of being late to school, you'll go now and speak with your teacher. and after school, we'll have a long talk about making better choices." "okay, mom," he mumbled. donald knew telling the truth would not be easy, but he knew he deserved whatever consequence he got, both from his teacher and his mom. next time, basketball will have to wait.

12. what is the best way to describe the theme in this story?

question 12 options:

a. honesty is important even when it is difficult.

b. it is important to be sanitary and drink from a glass.

c. you only live once, play whenever you get the chance.

d. family will you through times when you are struggling.