You say the theme out loud.

Someone else says the theme out loud.

The author tells the reader directly what the theme of the story is.

All of these.

It is a secret.

You can't figure out the theme by reading the story.

The author tells the reader directly what the theme of the story is.

The reader has to make an inference or educated guess about the theme.

The minutes tick by slowly

Never underestimate the power of a child

Drops of water and grains of sand are very small

The small things are as important as the big things