Question

dave was up for a promotion, and he knew the next meeting could make or break his career. all the salespeople were supposed to present ideas for bringing in more revenue. dave had a few thoughts but didnt think they were any good.
his coworker susan, on the other hand, always had great ideas. he decided to ask her if shed help him. true to form, she had terrific plans for bringing in more sales but intended to present them herself.
for the next two weeks, dave worked on his presentation, deleting his work and redoing it many times. finally, the day of the meeting came. he walked into the conference room and took his seat. his heart was racing. so much depended on this going well.
several of his coworkers presented. eventually it was daves turn. he looked down at his presentation notes and bit his lower lip. then he noticed that susan wasnt in the room. thats right. shes out sick today, he thought. that gave him an idea. instead of reading what was in his notes, he presented two of susans strategies.
everyone clapped, and a number of coworkers asked follow - up questions, which he handled well. he felt pleased with himself and was sure he would get the promotion.
the next day, though, daves boss asked him into her office. \dave, we need to talk about the presentation,\ she said. \i met with susan this morning to discuss yesterdays meeting, and she presented the same concepts you did. she said they were her ideas. what do you have to say to that?\
dave swallowed hard and knew he couldnt lie. \shes right,\ he said.
his boss continued, \i thought so. im giving her the promotion, and youre getting a warning.\
dave left the meeting thinking he was lucky to still have a job.
which of the following best describes the main theme or lesson of the story?
never discuss your ideas with other people.
stealing someone elses ideas will only hurt you in the end.
try to be happy where you are instead of trying to aim higher.
if youre caught lying, its best to admit what youve done right away.

Explanation:

Dave stole Susan's ideas for his presentation. When Susan presented the same ideas (as they were hers), Dave was caught. His boss gave Susan the promotion and Dave a warning. This shows that stealing someone else's ideas (plagiarism in a sense) led to a negative outcome for Dave. The other options are incorrect. "Never discuss your ideas with other people" is extreme and not the lesson. "Try to be happy where you are..." is not related to the story. "If you're caught lying..." - while Dave admitted, the main issue was stealing ideas, not just lying (the stealing was the core problem that led to the consequence).

Answer:

Stealing someone else’s ideas will only hurt you in the end.