Which term is used to name the overall message or lesson that a writer conveys about life or human nature?

• A. Infer
• B. Theme
• C. Imagery
• D. Setting

Answer: (B)

The idea being tested is how to name the overall message or lesson a writer conveys about life or human nature. The best term for that is theme. Theme is the underlying idea the story explores and communicates through its events and characters. It’s not the plot itself, nor the specific place or time, nor the descriptive language you might hear as imagery. You can often figure out the theme by considering what the characters learn or how the situation is resolved and asking what larger truth about life or people that resolution reveals. For example, a story about friends sticking together through hardship points to a theme about the importance of loyalty and support. Imagery describes sensory details, setting tells you when and where, and to infer is the reader’s act of drawing conclusions from clues.