Antonio had practiced his best for the chess tournament. He had read books about chess and played many games with his grandfather, a former grandmaster. Each day passed and brought Antonio closer to the tournament which, Antonio thought, would make him a champion. Each night, he thought about the possible moves of his opponents before he went to bed and dreamed about the game. He knew which meals could help him concentrate better and which outfit would keep him relaxed. If anybody was ready to win, it was Antonio Morales. The much-awaited day came, and Antonio's father drove him to the city hall. It was a cloudy day, and the parking lot of the city hall was overflowing with people. Just as Antonio stepped out of the car, he felt a sharp pain in his stomach. Before he knew it, he was throwing up on his new, plaid pants. There were only a few minutes left before the tournament, and Antonio had barely managed to clean up. Antonio sat on the chair rumbling, hustling, and breathing really fast. The game had begun before Antonio could gather himself. Just when things could not get worse, he knew his bishops on the board had already made his king open to a sure attack. How does the plot affect the theme of the passage?
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The chess tournament makes Antonio a hard-working boy.
The main character's loss earns the reader's sympathy.
The climax of the story makes the character interesting.
The events that unfold determine the theme of the story.

Question

Antonio had practiced his best for the chess tournament. He had read books about chess and played many games with his grandfather, a former grandmaster. Each day passed and brought Antonio closer to the tournament which, Antonio thought, would make him a champion. Each night, he thought about the possible moves of his opponents before he went to bed and dreamed about the game. He knew which meals could help him concentrate better and which outfit would keep him relaxed. If anybody was ready to win, it was Antonio Morales.     The much-awaited day came, and Antonio's father drove him to the city hall. It was a cloudy day, and the parking lot of the city hall was overflowing with people. Just as Antonio stepped out of the car, he felt a sharp pain in his stomach. Before he knew it, he was throwing up on his new, plaid pants. There were only a few minutes left before the tournament, and Antonio had barely managed to clean up. Antonio sat on the chair rumbling, hustling, and breathing really fast. The game had begun before Antonio could gather himself. Just when things could not get worse, he knew his bishops on the board had already made his king open to a sure attack. How does the plot affect the theme of the passage?
*
The chess tournament makes Antonio a hard-working boy.
The main character's loss earns the reader's sympathy.
The climax of the story makes the character interesting.
The events that unfold determine the theme of the story.

Vocaloid · Answer

How does the plot affect the theme of the passage?

The plot (what happens in the story) affect the theme (the greater message that the story is trying to convey). So think about what happens: Antonio works really hard to prepare for this tournament, studies, eats well, etc. but gets sick at the last minute and makes a bad mistake during the game. Extrapolating this to a greater idea: a person can do all the right things and have all their hard work undone through bad circumstances.

With that in mind, what answer choice do you think best describes how the plot affects the theme of the story?