In what situation would one need to identify the "theme" of a passage?

Identifying the "theme" of a passage is crucial when one aims to understand the underlying message or central idea conveyed by the text. The theme encapsulates the core concepts and significant insights that the author wishes to communicate, often reflecting broader truths or ideas about life, society, or human nature. Recognizing the theme allows readers to grasp the author's purpose, relate to the material on a deeper level, and critically engage with the text.

While analyzing character interactions, evaluating the author's writing style, or comparing different texts are all valuable activities in literary analysis, those tasks typically focus on different aspects of the text. They do not delve into understanding the overall message as effectively as identifying the theme does. Thus, focusing on the underlying message or central idea is the primary reason one would seek to uncover the theme of a passage.