Identifying Themes

Multiple-choice exercise

Choose the best answer for each question.
ELT Concourse home page

  1. The theme of The old woman who wanted the stamps is still waiting. is:
    1.   The old woman who wanted the stamps
    2.   the stamps
    3.   The old woman
  2. The theme of Waiting for the bus in winter, is not much fun. is:
    1.   Waiting for the bus in winter is
    2.   Waiting for the bus
    3.   Waiting for the bus in winter
  3. The topical theme of While I was waiting for the bus, it started to rain. is:
    1.   While I was waiting for the bus
    2.   While
    3.   While I was waiting
  4. The theme of It is difficult to imagine a worse outcome. is:
    1.   It is difficult to imagine
    2.   It
    3.   It is difficult
  5. The interpersonal theme of Incidentally, that's not the problem. is:
    1.   Incidentally, that's not
    2.   Incidentally, that
    3.   Incidentally
  6. In I called by but you were out. the rheme in the first clause is:
    1.   linked by a subordinating conjunction
    2.   linked by a coordinating conjunction
    3.   you
  7. In I spoke to the man who seemed to be in charge. the relative pronoun is:
    1.   part of the theme of the first clause
    2.   the topical theme of the second clause
    3.   the rheme of the first clause
  8. In That was the moment when I realised the problem. the theme of the second clause is linked to the rheme of the first by:
    1.   a relative adverb
    2.   the verb realise
    3.   a conjunction
  9. In She married him and it astonished everyone. the pronoun it:
    1.   refers to the rheme of the first clause
    2.   refers to the theme of the first clause
    3.   refers to the verb in the first clause
  10. In I threw my computer out of the third-floor window. An action which I later regretted. The theme of the second sentence is:
    1.   I
    2.   An action
    3.   later