Question

the ants and the grasshopper
one bright day in late autumn a family of ants were bustling about in the warm sunshine, drying out the grain they had stored up during the summer, when a starving grasshopper, his fiddle under his arm, came up and humbly begged for a bite to eat.
\what!\ cried the ants in surprise, \havent you stored anything away for the winter? what in the world were you doing all last summer?\
\i didnt have time to store up any food,\ whined the grasshopper, \i was so busy making music that before i knew it the summer was gone.\
the ants shrugged their shoulders in disgust.
\making music, were you?\ they cried. \very well; now dance!\ and they turned their backs on the grasshopper and went on with their work.
17
select the correct answer.
what theme is expressed in the selection?
a. work is more important than rest.
b. it is important to take time to rest.
c. there is a time and place for everything.
d. it is important to always be prepared.

Explanation:

The fable shows the ants prepared for winter by storing food in summer, while the grasshopper failed to prepare and faced hunger. The core message centers on the necessity of planning and getting ready for future needs. Option A is too extreme (the fable doesn't say work is more important than rest entirely, just that preparation matters). Option B contradicts the fable's lesson, as the grasshopper's over-rest/play led to trouble. Option C is too vague; the specific takeaway is about preparation, not a general "time and place" for all actions.

Answer:

D. It is important to always be prepared.