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Comparing Supernatural Themes

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Comparing Supernatural Themes

Read both original stories. Then compare how each uses a supernatural event to develop a theme. Support your answers with details from the stories.

Story A: The Last Wish

On a rainy evening, Mara found a brass compass in her grandfather’s desk. Its needle spun whenever she wished for something. “I wish the storm would stop,” she said. At once, the rain vanished—but so did the creek that watered the town’s gardens. Mara hurried to the hill and turned the compass backward. The storm returned, and the creek filled again. The compass needle pointed north at last. Mara put it away. The next morning, she helped her neighbors repair the washed-out garden paths.

Story B: The Listening Bell

At the edge of a busy city stood an old bell tower. People said its bell rang only when someone nearby needed help. One afternoon, Eli heard a single clear note while walking home. He followed the sound to a narrow alley, where a delivery driver had dropped a box of medicine. Eli helped gather the scattered bottles before the rain could reach them. As they carried the box to a nearby clinic, the bell rang again. Eli looked back at the tower, but its doors were locked. He began listening more carefully to the people around him.

Read closely

Use details from the stories when you explain your thinking. You may quote a short phrase or describe an event.

1.In “The Last Wish,” what supernatural object drives the main events?
  • A brass compass that responds to wishes
  • A bell that predicts the weather
  • A map that changes the town
  • A lantern that speaks to Mara
2.Which choice best expresses a theme of “The Last Wish”?
  • A quick solution can create problems for others, so choices deserve careful thought.
  • The past should always be forgotten.
  • People should avoid helping their neighbors.
  • A storm is more powerful than any person.
3.Which detail from “The Listening Bell” most clearly shows that Eli responds to the bell by helping someone?
  • He follows the sound and helps gather the scattered medicine.
  • He notices that the tower doors are locked.
  • He walks home through a city alley.
  • He hears a single clear note.
4.True or false: In both stories, the supernatural element leads a character to notice how their actions affect other people.
TrueFalse
5.Complete the comparison: The compass grants Mara’s wish, but the bell mainly Eli to act.
6.Compare the supernatural elements in the two stories. Give one detail from each story and explain one important difference between what the object does.
7.What does Mara learn by turning the compass backward and helping repair the garden paths? Use a story detail to support your answer.
8.How does Eli change by the end of “The Listening Bell”? Support your answer with a detail from the final part of the story.
9.Both stories use an unexplained supernatural event. Explain how each story’s ending connects that event to its theme.
10.Which story presents the supernatural element as more directly powerful over events: “The Last Wish” or “The Listening Bell”? Explain your choice with one example.
11.Write one theme statement that applies to both stories. Then name one event from each story that supports it.

3 printable pages

  • Comparing Supernatural Themes, page 1 of 3: Story A: The Last Wish, Story B: The Listening Bell, Read closely

    Page 1

  • Comparing Supernatural Themes, page 2 of 3: 3. Which detail from “The Listening Bell” most clearly shows that Eli responds to the…

    Page 2

  • Comparing Supernatural Themes, page 3 of 3: 9. Both stories use an unexplained supernatural event. Explain how each story’s ending…

    Page 3

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