The theme of a short story is the main idea. It is what the story is about and what message it sends to the reader.

Here's the completed instruction from the "STAGE 1: RESEARCH" section:

Step 1: Fill in the blank for instruction 2.
Instruction 2 asks to "Consult a variety of at least ____ resources & tools to collect the information." A common minimum for "a variety" in research tasks is three.

• 2. Consult a variety of at least 3 resources & tools to collect the information.

This research stage requires you to gather information related to the story "The sacrifice," using at least three different sources, and then present your findings in your own words with a suitable title.