Question

finding pogo
it was ten oclock in the morning when the alert came to allegra, the cleverest sleuth in the neighborhood. the johnson familys cat, pogo, was missing. without a seconds hesitation, allegra grabbed her detective kit and headed out, ready to tackle the case.
when she arrived at the johnson house, the family was tearful and upset. pogo had been missing since the day before, and no one had any idea where she was. luckily, allegra knew exactly what to do.
first, she hung posters all over the neighborhood. the posters showed a picture of pogo and asked people to call the johnsons if they had seen her. then allegra walked up and down each block around the johnsons house. she even looked in the park and at the school. but no one called, and no matter where she looked, she saw no sign of pogo.
allegra reassured the family that she had never failed to solve a mystery. but the truth was, she was stumped. what could have happened to pogo?
suddenly allegra noticed violet, the youngest member of the johnson family, tugging on her sleeve. \i know youre upset, violet,\ allegra told her, \but dont worry. im not giving up that easily.\
\its not that,\ violet said. \i think i can help.\
allegra sighed. \violet, thats so sweet of you, but im a detective with years of training in solving mysteries. ive looked everywhere there is to look.\
\but i heard meowing,\ violet insisted. \its coming from the attic.\
allegra raced upstairs, pulled down the hatch in the ceiling, and climbed the rickety ladder to the attic. there, huddled in a corner, was pogo, safe and sound!
allegras perfect record was still intact—thanks to some assistance from a little girl.
which of the following best describes the main theme or lesson of the story?
even the smartest people need help sometimes.
some mysteries solve themselves.
you will succeed if you refuse to give up.
being an expert means solving problems independently.

Explanation:

The story shows Allegra, a clever detective, struggling to find the cat. Despite her efforts, she couldn't find it until Violet, a young girl, helped. This indicates that even those with skills (Allegra) need help. The other options don't fit. "Some mysteries solve themselves" - no, they actively looked. "You will succeed if you refuse to give up" - Allegra didn't find it on her own despite not giving up. "Being an expert means solving problems independently" - contradicts as she needed help.

Answer:

Even the smartest people need help sometimes.