Simplify the following text for a Grade 8 native English-speaking person.
Original: The University of Chicago later accepted his novel Cat 's Cradle as his thesis , citing its anthropological content , and awarded him the M.A. degree in 1971 .
Simplified: The University of Chicago later accepted his novel Cat 's Cradle as his thesis because they said the story was anthropological . They gave him an M.A. degree in 1971 .