Question

walking around the royal hall, the thief hoped the king would accept his gift. no one was free from having lied, cheated, or stolen.
11 \members of the royal council,\ the thief called out. \you have all lied, cheated, or stolen, yet here you are - free to live as you see fit. i stole a mere bit of silk to wrap my gift for the king. for that, i am locked in a jail cell. where is the justice in this?\
12 the enlightened king paused to consider all that the thief had said and done. \go free,\ he proclaimed. \you have taken much, but you have given more. thank you for this gift.\
question: which statement best expresses the central theme of the folktale?
a. those who hold power always deserve respect.
b. wealth and intelligence lead to freedom.
c. no one is perfect, and justice should be guided by fairness and humility.
d. clever words can always deceive rulers.

Explanation:

The thief points out the hypocrisy of the council members (they have lied, cheated, or stolen yet are free) and the king, after considering, frees the thief. This shows that justice should not be blind - the council members are not perfect (they have done wrong) and the king shows fairness (by considering the thief's words) and humility (by admitting the thief has given more through his actions/words).

Answer:

C. No one is perfect, and justice should be guided by fairness and humility.