Question

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?
stealing someone elses ideas will only hurt you in the end.
never discuss your ideas with other people.
if youre caught lying, its best to admit what youve done right away.
try to be happy where you are instead of trying to aim higher.

Explanation:

Dave stole Susan's ideas for his presentation. He thought he'd get a promotion but instead got a warning when his boss found out. This shows stealing ideas backfires. The other options are incorrect. "Never discuss your ideas" is extreme. Admitting when caught (like Dave) isn't the main theme as the problem was stealing. "Be happy where you are" isn't related to the story's core of idea - stealing consequences.

Answer:

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