Question

What background knowledge helps the reader understand the theme of age bringing wisdom in "Birdfoot's Grampa”?

It takes time to stop the car, get out, help toads, and get back in.
Grandparents sometimes do things that children do not understand.
Younger toads can survive rainy, wet, dangerous conditions.
It can be dangerous to stop a car on the side of the road.

Answer 1

So you need to look at the question very carefully. What helps the reader find the theme?

Which statement provides background knowledge that helps a reader understand the theme of valuing all life found in"Birdfoot's Grampa"?

The journey is more important than the destination. Yes

Toads can be poisonous and may attack when startled. no

Grandparents and grandchildren often disagree. no

It can be dangerous to stop a car on the side of the road. no

Answer 2

The correct answer is: Grandparents sometimes do things that children do not understand.

As described on the poem, the car's driver refers the individual who caused him to stop his car as an "old man". Therefore, it is implied the driver is much younger than that individual.

Elderly people are characterized as wise beings, given the broader amount of experience they have gained throughout their lifetime - produced by their longer primacy on Earth. Humans shape their behaviour as they age up, thus, elders think very differently than younger generations. In the case of the poem, the old man holds stronger moral values towards the toads than does the driver - creating a misunderstanding between the characters.